9/2/2025 Boilermaker Water Cooler Chat: Victory Edition!!
Rants, ravings, and somewhat sensical opinions following the wild, wacky, and wide-wide world of Purdue sports.
Labor Day is behind us, as we return back to work from a long weekend. This weekend is one of my favorite times of year. Prep football is in full swing. Summer is giving way to fall, and fall is my jam. The weather is normally pretty beautiful this time of year, so I had to pack everything that I could in this weekend.
Let me tell you something, brother, I needed this extra day to recover from an action packed weekend. Whether it was date nights, hosting a pregame show for a Saturday night prep football game, calling the game, yard work, hiking in the Indiana Dunes National Park, only to have to mow the lawn afterwards… I was exhausted. The rare three day weekend, and the common occasion that I might’ve packed too much into my day off. Oh, I nearly forgot. Something else happened…
The Game:
Purdue 31, Ball State 0
40 seconds into the contest, Purdue scored on a beautiful 49 yard Arhmad Branch touchdown. Just a few minutes later, Ryan Browne danced into the endzone. Devin Mockobee scored in the second… The rest was on cruise control.
Ryan Brown threw for 311 yards and 2 touchdowns. Devin Mockobee ran for 59 yards and a score. Arhmad Branch hauled in 3 catches for 101 yards with one TD. Michael Jackson III caught 6 passes for 72 yards and a touchdown. The offense looked sharp.
The defense played sharply all afternoon, shutting out the Ball State Cardinals. Tahj Ra-El led the way with 7 tackles, all solo, with one tackle for loss. Mani Powell added 5 tackles. Mani Powell, Breylon Charles, Saunders Ellis, CJ Maddon, and Jamarrion Harkless all tallied sacks.
Purdue – Ball State Photo Gallery by Mark Elsner: https://iscpurdue.com/purdue-vs-ball-state-8-30-25/
Break it Down:
What more can you ask for? Boilermakers took care of business. Yes, Ball State is not a Big10 caliber opponent, but they are a program filled with division 1 athletes. Pitching a shutout in college football is not easy, no matter who the opponent is. Yes, Purdue also shut out Indiana State last year, and look how the season went… Nah, this looked different.
There was a crispness to this Purdue team. There was discipline. There was aggression. There was efficiency. All things that I wanted to see from Barry Odom’s squad. This victory was sharper and stronger than past Purdue squads. Yes, there is, finally, an adult in the room.
The offense looked strong. The defense pitched a shutout. The Boilers won big. There are no apologies due.
Also, winning is awesome. It took Purdue 364 days to notch this victory. The first of the Odom Era, with plenty more on the way.
What Went Well:
- 311: Yards passing for Ryan Browne is really encouraging. This offense was predicted to be a ball-control, run first offense, but it ended up looking more like an Air Raid than a Ground & Pound. Oh, also, according to statistics from Week 1, Ryan Browne is the #1 QB in the Big10, as the only one to throw for more than 300 yards.
- Purdue Fans: Incredible support in Ross Ade from some of the most passionate fans in the game. Coming off of a 1-11 season, with a game planted on a holiday weekend, it would be understandable if the stadium was sparsely populated. Nope. Shoulder to shoulder. Major kudos!
- 0: Points given up. Yep. That’s all that needed to be said.
- 14: Points scored in the first quarter against Ball State. That total -SURPASSES- the -ENTIRE FIRST QUARTER SCORING OF THE 2024 TWELVE GAME SEASON, COMBINED-!! (13).
- 49.3: Yards average per punt from Jack McCallister. I’ve always said, you don’t want your punter to ever play, but when he does, you want him to be good!
- 3: Penalties, 25 yards. In the year of our Lord 2025, Purdue only committed 3 penalties in a game. Such a breath of fresh air compared to the last several seasons. Coach Odom has instilled discipline on this squad.
Opportunities for Improvement:
Nope, not doing it. I have waited for nearly a year for Purdue to win a football game. There were things to improve upon, of course, but I am not going to point them out.
Big Man on Campus:
Ethan Trent. From walk on to starter. There are plenty of aspects in sports that are more important than winning and losing. There are stories in life more important than sports. Ethan made his first start on Saturday, at the Center position. The former walk on has worked his rear end off in the weight room, in nutrition, on the practice field, and now as a starting Big Ten center.
Your big brother is proud of you, Ethan. Your family too. The entire Purdue Universe is proud of you. You should be proud.
You and your brother are now a part of Purdue lore. Tyler and Ethan Trent, Purdue Legends.
A Look Ahead:
Purdue looks to improve to 2-0 as they have a night game against Southern Illinois. Purdue should be a sizeable favorite against the Salukis with the ESPN Matchup Predictor giving the Boilermakers a 90.3% chance of victory. Weather should be nice, and Ross Ade is always beautiful under the lights!
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