Purdue cornerback Hudauri Hines: ‘I bleed black and gold’
Second-year Purdue cornerback Hudauri Hines explained why he stayed with the Boilermakers after the coaching change and where he has improved most.
- Devin Mockobee ran for more than 100 yards and two scores. That was after Purdue’s defense settled in and the Boilers gained the lead with their passing attack.
- Still, those issues in the first quarter that allowed Southern Illinois to lead need to be cleaned up or other opponents will take advantage.
- Purdue did not punt in this game, the first time that has happened in almost a decade.
WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue football completed the non-power conference phase of its schedule with a methodical 34-17 victory over Southern Illinois.
Barry Odom took care of business as a heavy favorite — heck, he even covered — in his first two games as the Boilermakers’ coach.
A new reality begins Sunday morning as the calendar turns to a visit from USC. Those first 15 minutes will reveal more about this team than the first two full games could, considering the competition level.
Here is what I liked, disliked and what it the victory means for the Boilers.
What I liked in Purdue football’s win vs Southern Illinois
Purdue scored on all four first-half possessions to build a 24-14 halftime lead. For the game, it was the first time the Boilers did not punt in the first half in almost a decade: Sept. 24, 2016, against Nevada.
When the defense scuffled early, the offense did not compound the problem. Instead, it kept the pressure on SIU to keep matching it score for score. When the defense tightened up and stopped allowing explosives, the team which could drive for scores — Purdue — separated from the one which could not.
Ryan Browne touchdown passes to Ahrmad Branch and Nitro Tuggle answered SIU’s early touchdowns. Eventually, though, this became Devin Mockobee’s game to churn up yards and stubbornly chew through tackles.
This wasn’t the thunder and lightning dominance fans want against FCS opponents. It’s the sort of workmanlike performance which suggests this team has a lot of work to do to give itself a chance to win any of the next three games.
Halfway through the first quarter, though, catastrophe seemed possible. This team is still learning how to do this thing called winning. Taking control of a game and not relinquishing it matters.
Compare this to the last time Purdue went a full game without punting. In that 2016 win, the Boilermakers lost three fumbles, threw an interception and turned it over on downs once. It scored on only four of nine possessions.
Saturday night’s victory wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing, but there are uglier ways to win games.
- A sneaky big play in this game came with 3:36 left in the first half. On fourth-and-3, Browne hit Jesse Watson over the middle for a quick pass. The 5-foot-9, 172-pound receiver took a hard hit and held on. Purdue drove for a Spencer Porath field goal and for the first time, the defense took the field with the lead, 17-14.
- For the second straight week, some of the defense’s loudest moments came off the bench. Smiley Bradford made a fourth-down stop in the open field and came on a blitz that helped force a third-down stop and punt. Crew Wakley keeps bringing a physical tone — one sorely lacking when he wasn’t on the field on the opening drives.
What I disliked in Purdue football’s win vs Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois quarterback DJ Williams is a real talent. There’s scuttlebutt he turned down big power conference offers to stay with the Salukis. He’s got one year of eligibility left, so don’t be surprised if he cashes in this winter.
Even within that context, Purdue’s defense started poorly.
Williams’ dual-threat talents are legitimate, but they’re not unique. For instance, there are no fewer than five guys in Purdue’s quarterback room who fit that description. This defense went against all of them in preseason camp.
Yet this defense looked unsettled from the first snap against Williams. His run threat doesn’t explain how Purdue allowed third-and-9 and third-and-6 conversions on the opening drive. It doesn’t explain why the Salukis could so consistently attack the edge when breaking off touchdown drives on each of their first two possessions.
The Boilers adjusted, SIU could not sustain that start, and the more talented team pulled away. But those opening drives gave future opponents a template to follow with their own talented quarterbacks — the ones already cashing checks for power conference programs.
- Purdue’s veteran secondary didn’t look all that veteran at times. Cornerbacks and linebackers struggled to get off blocks. Safeties bit on RPO action and let receivers blow by them for big gains. Those backups noted above might not be backups for long.
- After the Boilers took a 34-14 lead in the fourth quarter, and with SIU’s offense unable to find any spark, the defense gave them one. Back-to-back personal fouls by Breeon Ishmail and Charles Correa pushed the Salukis past midfield.
What Purdue football’s win over Southern Illinois means
Purdue’s schedule breaks down into four phases. They completed phase one — home games against two lower-level opponents — 2-0.
Phase Two — the next three games on the schedule, all involving some connection to program or college football history — becomes much, much tougher.
USC comes to Ross-Ade Stadium next week for the Big Ten opener. Last year’s national championship runner-up Notre Dame plays host to the Boilermakers a week later. Then nationally ranked Illinois comes to West Lafayette to play for the cannon.
All of the positives we saw from Purdue’s first two weeks do not suddenly mean nothing. However, those successes really only matter if they can be replicated against Big Ten-level competition.
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