10 Observations: Rutgers 27, Purdue 24

Here is what has us talking after Purdue’s dispiriting last-second 27-24 loss vs. Rutgers.

• Stunned. Stupefied. Sucker-punched. Pick your descriptive word. This defeat registered a “10” on the Pain-O-Meter, as Purdue found a way to take its misery to another level with an absolutely insane defeat that extends a losing streak to six for a squad that falls to 2-6 overall and 0-5 in the Big Ten. The basement is cold, dark and lonely.

With the game tied, 24-24, Purdue had one last chance to drive from its 30-yard line for the win with 1:06 to go before OT. Go for it, right? That’s when it happened: Ryan Browne had his pass tipped, he caught it … then was hit and lost a fumble. Three plays later, Rutgers kicked a game-winning 30-yard field goal as time expired.

“As I saw it from the sideline, we had an RPO call,” said Barry Odom. “The defensive end set flat-footed on the line of scrimmage. There was a small window there. After he pulled it and got his hand on the ball, Ryan went up, tried to make a play, and I don’t know if it got punched from behind on his way down. He didn’t secure it at that point.”

You can’t make this up.

• “Hello, 2-10!” That almost certainly looks like Purdue’s destiny as it preps to take the lid off a daunting November schedule that begins next week with a trip to Michigan. That’s followed by a visit from Ohio State, game at Washington and season-ender vs. Indiana.

Godspeed, Purdue Pete.

• Browne ended up getting the start after leaving last week’s game at Northwestern with a left shoulder injury. He played with a brace on his left shoulder in what was one of his less-than-stellar days. Browne hit 11-of-20 passes for 117 yards with a TD and that oh-so-big fumble. He also ran twice for 12 yards.

“We ended up getting some more testing done on (Browne) Monday, and then he just kept making progress throughout the week,” said Odom. “Had a good week of preparation and felt comfortable with the information we had on putting him in and letting him go play.”

• The plan today was to play Malachi Singleton in concert with Browne, per Odom. And Singleton had his moments. The Arkansas transfer was spotted in effectively, using his feet to pick up a key first down in the first half and throwing two TD passes. Singleton hit 2-of-3 passes for 11 yards and ran four times for 11 yards.

“Ryan’s our starting quarterback,” said Odom. “But there’s certain things we’re trying to get because Malachi is playing well and has earned playing time. Anybody that we feel is in a position to help us play winning football, we’re going to find a way to get them on the field. And we feel that way about Malachi.”

• Run the ball. Purdue had to do it well today if it wanted a chance to end its five-game losing streak. Mission: Accomplished, as Purdue rushed for 217 yards. It probably should have run the ball more, honestly. Malachi Thomas set the pace on the opening drive with a 57-yard run, Purdue’s longest play of the season. Devin Mockobee had 91 yards. Still, we need more Mockobee, who also made two catches. I repeat: We need more Mockobee.

• Could a maligned Purdue defense slow down a strong Scarlet Knight offense? Nope. Rutgers QB Athan Kaliakmanis hit 19-of-27 passes for 359 yard and a TD. And RU did damage running the ball with some shifty, strong backs in rushing for 184. Time and again, Purdue could not get the Scarlet Knights off the field, as RU was 3-of-4 on third downs. And check this out: The Scarlet Knights ran 75 plays to Purdue’s 51.

• Purdue kept letting Rutgers hang around, hang around, hang around like it let Minnesota do two weeks ago. And, like that trip to Dinkytown, this game ended in a painful loss for the Boilers.

Two times, Purdue had a chance to extend its lead to three scores, once in the first half when it was up 10-0 and once in the second half when it led 17-7. But the Boilermakers never could extend their advantage, letting the Scarlet Knights hang around … and eventually seize victory to end a four-game slide.

Woulda, shoulda, coulda.

“I guarantee you, we’re going to get this turned and we will continue to work,” said Odom. “We’ll pour everything we’ve got into it, and we’ll get our team into the winner circle at some point. We came up short. And it’s tough.”

• KJ Duff is still open on the Ross-Ade turf! Purdue had no answer for the 6-6 Rutgers wideout, who tallied 241 yards on just six catches. That comes to a cool 40.2 yards per grab. Not bad.

For you history buffs, Duff’s 241 receiving yards are the most by a Purdue opponent since Wisconsin’s Al Toon had 252 on Nov. 12, 1983, in the Badgers’ 42-38 win over the Boilermakers in Ross-Ade Stadium.

Al Toon … sweet.

• Yes, that’s six losses in a row with Purdue staring down a possible 2-10 finish. Still, Odom doesn’t agree with the notion of a rebuild.

“I’m not going to back down from that statement,” he said of his preseason proclaimation. “I believe that we’re creating a winning culture, and eventually we are going to win. I don’t know when that’s going to happen. You’re fighting and you’re swinging and scratching and clawing, and you’re going to eventually get there. But we’re not there yet, so I still stand, and I’ve got strong belief in what our foundation is becoming. I have strong belief in this program, and I have no doubt it’s going to be a special place that we win consistently. We’re just not there yet.”

• Purdue is now looking at the real possibility of going 0-9 in the Big Ten for a second year in a row. The last Big Ten team to do that? Rutgers in 2018-2019, which lost 21 Big Ten games in a row from 2017-19.

As my mom would say: This isn’t the type of company you want to keep.

Odom has set his jaw.

“Mike Bobinski our athletics director and Tiffini Grimes or sport administrator/deputy AD are two of the best in the country,” said Odom. “They’ve given us absolutely everything that we need the 10 months that I’ve been here to go be successful, and we’re building it, and the wins are going to come.

“Man, that’s a hard way to lose one.”

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