Old National Presents: 3-2-1; Will answers come in time?

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

Three things learned

1 Changing play-callers had no impact

Not a shock. Yes, we saw some new wrinkles that put Hudson Card on the move. We saw some option. We saw more of Devin Mockobee. We saw OL Jalen Grant put in motion and used to block.

The result: two field goals, 216 yards, 1-of-11 on third downs.

God bless Jason Simmons. He’s trying. And Ryan Walters said he was more involved with the offense last week, too. But this attack is deeply flawed with an inept passing game leading the dysfunction. What ails Purdue’s offense likely can’t be fixed between Saturdays.

“You look at game management,” said Walters. “You look at how we’re using the roster. You look at schematic issues. Then you evaluate the play of the individual, you know, all those things and take an assessment and evaluate and try to improve the areas that you failed.”

2 – De-commits keep coming

The latest to jump ship: CB Dawayne Galloway, a four-star from Columbus, Ohio, who was the highest rated player in the Boilermakers’ 2025 class. Last week, 2025 WR Lebron Hill de-committed and 2026 QB Oscar Rios de-committed.

What’s Walters’ message to his remaining 12 commitments in the class of 2025?

“Just watch the season,” he said. “See how it unfolds. They’re committed here for a reason. They love this university, they love this place. They have gotten to know and have belief in the coaches that are recruiting them.

“So, that’s what I would say. Just seven games left. Let’s see how this deal plays out.”

MORE: First and 10 | First look: Illinois | Three thoughts | Purdue’s Ryan Walters on if season can be fixed: ‘I don’t see any reason why it can’t’

3 – This team doesn’t handle adversity well

And there has been plenty of adversity due primarily to slow starts. How slow? Purdue is being outscored in the first quarter, 35-7. The lone TD came in the opener vs. FCS Indiana State.

“We are struggling to play from behind,” said Walters. “For some reason, it kind of snowballs when things don’t go our way, and so I’ve got to do a better job of giving them like emotional answers on how to respond when you’re behind or when things aren’t going your way so that you don’t play without outside the framework of the play call, outside the framework of the technique; you don’t panic.”

Take away the 49-0 opening win vs. ISU, and Purdue has been outscored 184-44 the last four games. That makes for an average score of 46-11. Purdue has lost those last four games by an average of 35 points. Unreal.

Two questions

1 – How much worse can things get?

The 52-6 loss at Wisconsin looked like a nadir. In fact, it looked a lot like the epic 50-7 loss at Maryland in 2016. Darrell Hazell was told to clean out his office two weeks after that pummeling.

Fans seem to be making their way through stages of grief: Shock, denial, anger, depression, acceptance. And the worst fan emotion of all is lurking: apathy.

The 1-4 Boilermakers are staring at the possibility of a 1-11 season. This program doesn’t looked capable of playing four quarters of solid football. Still on the to-do list for Purdue are games vs. the three best teams in the Big Ten: Oregon, Ohio State and Penn State. Who’s Purdue gonna beat over the last eight games … Northwestern at home on Nov. 2?

In case you’re wondering, Purdue’s most recent one-win season was 2013. It also had just one win in 1993.

2 – Is Ryan Walters seeking outside help?

The Boiler boss was asked on Monday if he has sought counsel with any mentors to help him navigate this difficult stretch.

“I have, yes,” said Walters.

Who?

“Those are personal,” he said. “Yeah, so I’ll keep that in-house. I appreciate you asking the question, though.”

One bold statement: Bret Bielema and Ryan Walters will have a warm handshake

Yes, the two worked together in Champaign from 2021-22, with Walters serving as Bielema’s DC before coming to Purdue. But the sense is that the relationship isn’t real warm and fuzzy despite what we may see on display on Saturday.