Old National Presents: 3-2-1

Three things learned. Two questions. One bold statement. It’s time for the 3-2-1, a look at Purdue football.

Three things learned

1 – Say “hello” to Jason Simmons. Who? He’s the man tasked with running the offense with Graham Harrell gone.

Look, there weren’t many viable options in-house to do the job. And Ryan Walters vetted and screened outside candidates. In the end, tabbing Simmons made the most sense.

Is Simmons a risk? Sure. The guy has been at Purdue just a few months in an offensive analyst role. And he’s only been an assistant at a FBS program for one year (Miami, Ohio, in 2023).

But, Walters has trust in the well-liked Simmons, who forged his rep coaching in the prep ranks in Indianapolis.

“I liked the fact that he had been a head coach, albeit the high school ranks and had been an offensive coordinator, albeit the high school ranks and the success he had, and his familiarity with this area and his passion for the game of football,” said Walters. “And just the way he carries himself and his ability to reach people.”

Things never worked out under Harrell. On the surface, it seemed like a good hire. Noted signal-caller with an impressive playing resume that would make recruits pick up the phone. And his coaching career showed heft with stops at USC and West Virginia, among other places.

“It was not easy,” said Walters. “I’ve got a lot of respect for Graham and I appreciate what he has poured into this program up to this point. Both him and his family, obviously not an easy conversation. But this is a business. It has nothing to do with anything personal. … it just wasn’t working here.”

2 – Ryan Walters is a man of action. You could sense frustration in his voice and body language when discussing the offense in the post-game aftermath on Saturday. On Sunday afternoon, he made the decision to part ways with Harrell.

“The decision to do it now is for a couple reasons,” said Walters. “One, I believe that we have a better team than we have been showing the last three weeks, and so there’s a lot of football still to be played. We’ve played a quarter of the games and I feel like if I didn’t do anything right now, it would be kind of like waving a white flag on the season. Nobody in that building is ready to do that.

“If a change was going to be made in December, I just didn’t feel like it would be fair to draw that out for everyone involved. And so after careful consideration and a lot of thought process and a lot of evaluation, I felt like it was best for the program and best for our team to give us a chance to go be who I believe we have the potential to be, was to make a very tough — a very tough decision right now.”

3 – We saw some alterations on Saturday, as Walters is seeking solutions on the fly.

On offense, Purdue inserted OT Bakyne Coly on occasion as a sixth offensive lineman. It seemed to help at times. Still, RBs Devin Mockobee and Reggie Love combined for just 74 yards on 23 carries after the run attack generated 263 yards rushing the week before. We also saw Purdue huddling up to slow things. And it also meant the staff didn’t need to signal in plays–and possibly having the signs stolen.

On defense, we saw Dillon Thieneman switch safety spots, playing closer to the line and action. And Kydran Jenkins spent most of Saturday playing his old rush end spots instead of inside linebacker.

Two questions

1 – Will the switch at OC spark offense?

Obviously, time will tell. But this much is certain: Something had to be done for this listing 1-3 team.

Purdue ranks 15th in the Big Ten in total offense (322.0 ypg) and 14th in scoring (21.8 ppg). The passing game has been the biggest issue, ranking 15th (172.3 ypg). Explosive plays? Purdue is second to last in the Big Ten in pass plays of 20 or more yards with 6.

And a huge issue: third downs, as Purdue ranks 16th in converting them (35.2 percent, 17-of-48). Too often, the offense goes three-and-out, throwing the defense back on the field. And this was a D that had shown some fight the last two games before wearing down.

“I think we are doing a good job running the football, but it’s been hard to find easy throws and getting people in advantageous situations depending on coverage and the shell defensively that’s being presented pre-snap,” said Walters. “And we haven’t played complementary football. That’s why I made the decision we made.”

2 – Amid the tumult, will Purdue see de-commits?

The staff saw 2025 WR Lebron Hill step away from his commitment last night. He already had walked away from a pledge to Louisville before flipping to Purdue. So, Hill’s departure is not a shock.

Will more follow? It wouldn’t be a shock. It’s just the way of the world, especially for a program that’s struggling like Purdue.

One bold statement: Move at OC will provide a bump

Such bold strokes typically do cause a positive ripple. The key: How impactful and long will the bump last? And will it result–ultimately–in much-needed wins?

Only eight games remain. Purdue needs to go 5-3 to reach the 6-6 mark needed for the postseason. It seems like a pipe dream. But, hey, Walters is trying … tweaking, altering, changing.

“I’m looking forward to this work week and looking forward to playing a good Wisconsin football team,” said Walters.