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    • Small mistakes are piling up for Purdue football against Oregon
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    Small mistakes are piling up for Purdue football against Oregon

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    WEST LAFAYETTE – Purdue’s offense was stymied time and time again as it struggled to find cohesion in a 35-0 loss to No. 2 Oregon.

    With redshirt freshman Ryan Browne under center and head coach Ryan Walters calling the play, the Boilermakers were shut out 35-0 – the first time since losing to Ohio State in 2013.

    It was a combination of growing pains and an improved learning curve for Purdue, which has lost six straight games.

    “Especially early on, we had some self-inflicted wounds,” head coach Ryan Walters said.

    The Boilermakers had five penalties, including four false starts, two of which occurred in the first three minutes of the third quarter, with Purdue trying to gather some kind of momentum and force Oregon onto their heels.

    Other “self-inflicted wounds” included a 5-yard reception for Max Klare, which was fumbled and recovered by Oregon with 56 seconds left in the second quarter.

    A missed 36-yard field goal in the second quarter by kicker Spencer Horath compounded an unraveling that has become part of the theme for Purdue during its six-game losing streak.

    Browne, who completed 18 of 26 passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns in a thrilling near comeback victory over Illinois, stumbled in his second start in a foul called by Walters.

    “I thought he played hard and executed well on offense, but did he play perfect? No, Walters said. “Some of the plays he made a week ago, he didn’t make those types of plays. But he will grow, this being his second start as a freshman. Our fans showed up and showed up and it was a beautiful night and a beautiful stage to do something special. And I’m disappointed that we didn’t succeed.”

    Browne completed 9 of 19 passes for 93 yards before throwing an interception on his final throw, trying to find Arhmad Branch and prevent the first shutout in 13 years.

    More: Oregon Football and Purdue Score Summary: Ducks beat Boilermakers 35-0 in Big Ten matchup

    “I wasn’t making plays when I needed to be,” Browne said.

    And while Browne did his best to move the ball, it was a reminder that he’s still an unfinished product, learning to deal with both the highs of a good performance and the kind of learning that caused Purdue to sputter.

    “I think what really messed us up was the self-inflicted wounds,” running back Reggie Love said after collecting a team-high 95 yards rushing on Friday. “If we lose that, we will play a lot and score a lot of points.”

    Five penalties and a fumble were compounded by Purdue’s inability to handle the speed, quickness and versatility of Oregon’s offense.

    Quarterback Dillon Gabriel completed 21 of 25 passes for 290 yards, two touchdowns and was intercepted by defensive back Kyndrich Breedlove.

    Gabriel was sacked twice, but those hits had little impact on Oregon (7-0).

    “They came in and prepared really well for us,” Breedlove said. “I feel like their offensive line is good, they are the No. 2 ranked team in the country. With that offensive line, there’s always going to be some issues getting to the quarterback. But as defensive backs we have to keep it from them.”

    Purdue now heads into the bye week with two weeks to prepare for Northwestern.

    Linebacker Hudson Miller and his team continue to find confidence with six games remaining in the regular season.

    If Purdue has the answers to bowl eligibility, it will be discovered within the next 13 days.

    “Motivation lies in the opportunities we still have,” Miller said. “One of the most important messages was: ‘Put your head down and work.’ I think as a team we are seizing the opportunities and working for them. With six games to go there are great opportunities ahead if we just keep our heads down and just work.”

    After being credited with the offensive explosion against Illinois, Browne took responsibility on another night when Purdue’s offense was stymied.

    Browne was sacked three times, but was constantly chased and ran for small, positive gains — gains that led to Purdue rushing for a combined 208 yards.

    “We moved the ball pretty well for the most part, but negative plays and penalties killed us,” Browne said. “We basically just shot ourselves in the foot.”

    Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at [email protected]on Twitter Ethan A Hanson and Instagram on ethan_a_hanson.

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