Upon Further Review: USC

The day after most Purdue football games this season, GoldandBlack.com will rewatch the contest in an attempt to break down or highlight some of the finer points.

Understand, we do not have 11-on-11 video nor do we have either team’s playbook, so this will generally be a layman’s view on things.

Today, Purdue’s Saturday night loss to USC

PDF: Purdue-USC statistics

PURDUE OFFENSE

Obviously, Ryan Browne‘s three turnovers loomed largest over the outcome of a game that the better team did win, but while Browne made mistakes, iffy decisions and sometimes got caught trying to do too much, everything about it has to be viewed in the context that Browne was pressured way too much and hit far too often.

USC has the far superior team at the line of scrimmage and it showed up a lot.

Throw in the fact that USC looked quite often like it knew what was coming — it was either that lucky or that good, probably a combination of the two, in calling the right defenses at the right moments or reading plays there’s not much tape out on — and Browne was under siege.

Schematically, Purdue blocks this adequately, as the tackle and guard handle this stunt, but they can’t hold their ground. Purdue is fortunate this isn’t a hold, as Ethan Trent tackles his man.

This kind of sums it up. Purdue has two extra blockers in the backfield, but things break down so fast the play is DOA, it all starting with the right edge collapsing immediately.

This, too. Just no chance here. Credit Browne for making chicken salad.

Can’t really fully fault Browne for this as it’s just a total jailbreak, but Browne’s got to give the ball off to this end around option at some point. But Purdue also has a real guard issue on this play and a collapsing right edge again.

Purdue is sliding its protection here and if you look close, center Brandyn Joiner just can’t get to his guy as quick as he needs to.

When quarterbacks get pressured too much, you worry about jumpiness. In Browne’s case, sometime maybe indecisiveness trying to make plays after they break.

The premature slide here is only part of the issue; the pump fake costs him yardage that would have moved the sticks. If he just goes straight ahead, he’s good.

Another example. This ball has to get out to the running back sooner.

Now, some turnovers …

Here’s No. 1. First off, Browne is trying to do too much here. This is a really difficult play he is trying to make in a really important area. Though he does a good job at times making accurate throws when he has his feet set and time to throw, he does not do a great job putting the ball out in front of people.

USC is all over the slot receiver it looks like Purdue is trying to get a one-on-one for and things break down immediately. This isn’t as much of a protection issue. It’s a quick-hitter play that went sideways, followed by a bad decision.

Now, the third interception is just Purdue having gone to this RPO often and USC seeing it coming. A more experienced, savvy QB might be able to look this safety off, but Purdue’s just not there yet. This is just telegraphed and shouldn’t have been thrown.

Long story short here: Purdue did some good things offensively. Josh Henson called a good game that covered up some of the areas where the Boilermakers just didn’t have the horses. USC was ready for a lot of what Purdue was doing and had a significant physical advantage.

Purdue had its moments on offense, and Browne had his moments, but it is evident that against NFL-level fronts in the Big Ten, it’ll be same as it ever was more often than not. And Purdue needs Browne to settle in and really get better with experience. He needs help.

But he also needs experience and film.

This ball has to go to the flaring tight end, though that freaking pterodactyl wearing No. 1 does a great job accounting for two of Purdue’s three options here.

PURDUE DEFENSE

Purdue ran a lot of different fronts, including a good deal of 3-4 looks right from the get-go.

Thing about three-man fronts is if you’re going to drop a bunch of people into coverage, someone has to find a way to interfere with the QB.

Didn’t happen, at least not enough.

USC did a good job attacking the weak-side edges. There’s no wide lineman to worry about here, but Purdue is bringing a late blitz to fill in. USC weaponizes that blitz against Purdue with a read option the blitzer bites inside on, freeing the quarterback to not only complete this swing but lead the receiver into a big play.

Fourth down was a problem, but Lincoln Riley is also very good at what he does.

I just want to highlight the nuance of this.

After calling a timeout after getting Purdue’s initial look, USC clearly expects exactly what it gets. It’s expecting linebacker Charles Correa to drop into a short zone. Intentional or not, it uses Correa’s drop to run interference on Tony Grimes, who’s manned up on the tight end. The crossing route then flows against the grain, setting up SC’s other crossing receivers to create so much congestion that the tight end is uncovered with room to run. There are no illegal picks set here. All clean.

USC’s multiple-tight end actions gave Purdue fits. It’s tough when a team has multiple tight ends as good as these guys.