Heading into the season, it felt like Purdue had some real promise. Safety Dillon Thieneman was an All-American. Talented quarterback Hudson Card was in his second year with the program. Running back Devin Mockobee is one of the more underrated rushers in the Big Ten. Even a 49-0 decimation of FCS Indiana State seemed to portend good things.
Instead, the Boilermakers are cratering. In their first FBS game of the year, Purdue lost 66-7 against Notre Dame, the worst loss in the 128-year history of the rivalry. They were shut out against both Ohio State and Oregon. Purdue’s minus-28.4 point margin is 133rd nationally, only ahead of Kent State. Next up is, gulp, No. 4 Penn State on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS).
Purdue took a chance in 2023 by hiring Ryan Walters, a young defensive coordinator who excelled at Illinois and was the 247Sports Defensive Coordinator of the Year in 2022. Walters’ energy was a welcome addition and translated into a top-30 recruiting class in his first season. However, the on-field product is well below expectations. According to a panel of CBS Sports and 247Sports college football writers, Walters faces a critical November to stay off the wrong end of the hot seat.
Coaching at Purdue comes with challenges. Since 1981, only two coaches have finished with career winning records at Purdue: Joe Tiller and Jeff Brohm. The program has won only one Big Ten championship since 1967, a split title in Drew Brees’ final season in 2000. The program’s NIL situation sits near the lower end of the Big Ten, a matter only complicated by Purdue’s newfound focus on basketball after a Final Four run.
At the same time, the runs of Tiller and Brohm show there are ways to win at Purdue. The school is misdiagnosing the problem….
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