WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA - OCTOBER 16: Jojo Hayden #0 of the Purdue Boilermakers intercepts a pass during the fourth quarter against the Washington Huskies at Ross-Ade Stadium on October 16, 2026 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) | Getty Images Jed Wilkinson Mon, October 19, 2026 at 6:35 PM UTC · 4 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was a frustrating Friday night for the Boilermakers as they couldn't seem to seize control of a game that was well within their reach. A usually reliable running game was non-existent with the exception of a 60 yard run by Antonio Harris while a five turnover performance by Washington couldn't save Purdue. A game where fan interest seemed to be tipping back in their favor turned back into questioning the hire of Kevin Kane as the defense showed little to no ability to stop one of the B1G's worst offenses entering the weekend. The 488 yards of offense was a season high for the Huskies with the exception of their game against FCS Eastern Washington by nearly 100 yards.
Let's rewind back to the post-game pressers for Head Coach Barry Odom and selected players following their 38-26 loss on Friday night.
Odom once again offered high praise to the Ross Ade Brigade and the fans that showed up for a late kickoff on a Friday night. Really don't enjoy these Friday night games considering it was the final week of the regular season for high school football and it doesn't allow Purdue to bring recruits into town.
When Purdue plays complimentary football, as the previous games against Illinois and Minnesota, they seem to be a pretty solid football team. That couldn't have been further from the truth against Washington. The defense grabbed 5 turnovers and overall the team was +3 after the two interceptions by Browne late in the game as he started forcing throws to get back in the game. When a team is +3 in the turnover margin, they generally win 85-90% of the time.
Speaking of a failure to play complimentary football, those 5 turnovers only led to 6 points overall. For a defense that has been a bit of a rollercoaster, you simply can't have an offense not cash those in for points. Purdue lost by 12 but if Washington doesn't have those turnover problems, this game could have very well ended up a loss by 26 or more points. That would have been disastrous for the program.
The opening play was a huge one as DB Hiduri Hines went up and intercepted a deep pass down the near sideline but Purdue's defensive scheme likely took a major hit, according to Odom. Hines never returned to the field and was eventually taken by cart to the locker room and that forced the Boilers to shuffle players around. That's where some of those slants and posts, the area where Hines has been good at this season, that cost Purdue throughout the entire game.
In conjecture with that injury to Hines, Washington was able to generate way too many explosive plays. The Huskies, with a backup QB, were able to generate 15 explosive plays for 383 of their 488 yards. That is over double the amount for Purdue's offense. It definitely looked like a return to poor form for Kevin Kane's defense but Odom clearly believes it isn't a permanent step backwards to where the defense was the first 4 games. Simply, the defense has to do better and they were out of position all too frequently throughout the game…again.
Odom was very blunt in how his offensive line was dominated throughout the game and how the lack of a running game impacted the ability of Ryan Browne to truly be effective in the passing game. Without the 60 yard run from Antonio Harris, Purdue ran for just 38 yards on 26 attempts for a paltry 1.46 yards per carry. I don't care what level of football you are playing, that simply can't happen. The offensive line was equally as bad in pass protection as they yielded 3 sacks and left Browne hurried and rushed throughout the entire game.
Hines suffered a strain of some sort in his leg and Odom simply stated he wasn't able to play in a manner that would leave him effective. With bye week and options thin behind him due to the continued absence of Mister Clark, Purdue needs a healthy Hines against PSU, Maryland, and Wisconsin if it wants a chance at bowl eligibility.
Odom highlighted that Purdue still sits at 2-2 and their goals for the season are still in front of them. Something that may need to stand at the front of this 3-4 record is that Purdue has losses to #4 Notre Dame, #9 UCLA, #17 Wake Forest, and a Washington team that was ranked #19 after week 1 of the season. It again does bear mentioning that just an average defense likely has Purdue at 5-2 right now as this was a winnable game for the Boilers.
Source: Sports
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