9/8/2025 Boilermaker Water Cooler Chat: 2-0 Edition
Rants, ravings, and somewhat sensical opinions following the wild, wacky, and wide-wide world of Purdue sports.
I don’t have many opportunities to attend games as a “fan” anymore. Once or twice a year, really. So when I have the opportunity to do so, I try to make the best out of it. Pregame I followed my nose around campus, taking in fountain views and shady benches. I grabbed a burger. I soaked up the campus life that I lived a couple decades ago. Perfect weather for a beautifully nostalgic stroll around the buildings that I once called home.
Eventually found my way to Slater Hill. In the echoes of the All American Marching Band, I met up with a few buddies, their wives, and kiddos.
I had an opportunity to breathe it in. (If you count a few beers, I drank it in too.) I saw the sights. The flags. The bands. The lights. The team. My friends. My neighbors. My people. My Boilermakers.
Had a chance to visit some fellow Purdue media folks at halftime. The Purdue internet personalities that you all know. Great seeing some old friends, new faces, and finally putting faces to the twitter profiles.
Most importantly, the Boilermakers won, going away. Something that hasn’t happened much recently. It was a perfect night, in God’s country.
The Game:
Purdue 34, Southern Illinois 17
Southern Illinois threw everything at the Boilermakers early in this contest. After a couple early touchdowns, the wells ran dry for the Salukis. The defense made adjustments, and the Boilermaker Offense marched up and down the field.
Devin Mockobee had 126 yards and 2 TDs. Arhmad Branch and Nitro Tuggle each hauled in a TD reception. Ryan Browne threw for 170 yards, and rushed for another 50.
Defensively, CJ Nunnally had a monster game. 2 huge sacks which demoralized the Saluki offense. Charles Correa added another. Tahj Ra-El led the way with 7 tackles.
Purdue – Southern Illinois Photo Gallery by Mark Elsner: https://iscpurdue.com/purdue-football-vs-southern-illinois-9-6-25/
Break It Down:
What started out as a potential nightmare scenario was quickly corrected by this coaching staff. In the meantime, the offense and special teams unit pulled their weight, playing complementary football. At any point of any game, one of the three football phases is going to face adversity. In that circumstance, the other two need to step up. That is exactly what happened on Saturday.
Coach Odom, in postgame, mentioned that he needed to make adjustments early in this game. There was a plan, it wasn’t being executed appropriately. Adjustments were needed.
Meanwhile, Southern Illinois was throwing everything they could at the Boilermakers. Trip-motion into empty sets, and Purdue’s defense was not recognizing the numbers battle on the edge. SIU ran a reverse, several QB boots, double move routes, and managed to disrupt the Purdue defense early. Following adjustments, the door was shut.
On the other side of the ball, Purdue’s offensive line dominated the trenches, and Purdue pounded the ball. Devin Mockobee eclipsed the 100 yard mark, ate up clock, and was a trustworthy, solid, consistent performer all night. The Boilermakers offense had very few hiccups, which led to a relatively stress free night as the game went on.
What Went Well:
- George Burhenn: From a severely broken leg in the spring, and an assumed missed season… to leading the team in receiving in the second game of the season. Incredible adversity and hard work by this young man to be back in full action.
- 126: Yards from Devin Mockobee. Yes, that was on a ton of carries (32), but 126 yards and 2 TDs is a hell of a night.
- 0: Punts for the night. If it wasn’t for a turnover on towns and an interception to start the second half, the offensive performance was nearly flawless.
- 109: Years in the making. The last time that a Purdue head coach started their Boilermaker tenure 2-0 was Cleo O’Donnell in 1916. So, yes, Saturday was a historic feat not seen in over a century! I was there!
Opportunities for Improvement:
- Speaking of that Interception: Underthrown into double coverage is not where you that ball placed. Browne did underthrow some players throughout the night, however, this one ended up biting him. Hopefully he learns from this mistake, as the risk vs reward on that play probably didn’t have the greatest ROI. Browne is a really good QB, and the occasional mistake won’t change that. He will get this figured out.
- Let’s not point fingers: Some passes were underthrown, but some were flat out dropped. Luckily it didn’t hurt Purdue in the log run, but Browne and the WR corps are still getting used to each other. This will take time.
- From a Mile Away: The first 3-4 times that SIU motioned into the empty set, trips wide, Purdue had 2 men on 3 Salukis. We could see it from the stands and Southern Illinois took advantage of it. With some coaching adjustments, and personnel recognition, the defense quickly figured out that scheme. The majority of the rest of the game, the Boilermaker D brought the heat.
Big Man on Campus:
Devin Mockobee. 126 yards. 2 TD. 32 carries. What more can be said? There is a reason why the former walk on, and current star, is in the hunt for being Purdue’s all time leading rusher. He is trustworthy, he is relentless, and he is tough as nails.
One More Thing:
Dave Shondell and the ‘youthful’ Purdue Volleyball team are off to a 4-1 start this year (2/3 of roster underclassmen). Following the departure of several star players, the #17 Purdue Volleyball team showed their grit hosting the “Stacey Clark Classic” versus several ranked opponents. On Friday, the Boilermakers week culminated with an exciting 5 set victory over #15 Kansas in Holloway. Purdue’s lone loss was to #23 Georgia Tech in four sets. No. 17 Purdue, No. 15 Kansas and No. 23 Georgia Tech each finished with a 2-1 record in the Stacey Clark Classic.
A Look Ahead:
The Big Ten Season is upon us. The high powered offense of the USC Trojans will head to West Lafayette for an afternoon tilt next Saturday. Gone are the days of our Boilermakers playing low level FBS or FCS teams, and the talent level is going to ramp up in a hurry. USC is a 21.5 score favorite. However, the game is in God’s country, and we all know that an upset can happen any given Saturday.
Will be interesting to see how the Boilermakers fare against stiffer competition!
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