Addressing Purdue's Inconsistency and More Key Quotes From Barry Odom's Week 10 Press Conference
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The season is beginning to slide in West Lafayette. After Purdue evened its record to 3-3 with impressive wins over Illinois and Minnesota, it has dropped its last two games to Washington and Penn State.
Barry Odom set out a goal of bowl eligibility this season, but the Boilermakers would need to win three of their last four games to reach the postseason. The winning must start this weekend, as Purdue welcomes a flawed Maryland squad to Ross-Ade Stadium for Homecoming.
On Monday, Odom talked about Purdue's inconsistency, preparation for Maryland, NIL and plenty more. Here are some of the key quotes as the Boilers prepare for the Terps.
Potential changes to the defense, issues with consistency
In Saturday's 31-17 loss to Penn State, Purdue struggled on both sides of the football. The Boilermakers surrendered 267 rushing yards to an offense averaging just 130 yards per game on the ground.
Offensively, the Boilers had zero red zone trips, converted only 2 of 11 third-down opportunities, and had fewer than 200 yards of total offense. So, what changes can we expect to see moving forward, if any?
"There are changes every single week in all three phases," Odom said. "We've been way too inconsistent in offense and defense right now. We have to find consistency, and we're not there yet. We're doing everything we can to solve problems, to find answers, and then to put our players in position to play successfully.
"And then we have to go execute. That's part of it as well. There's a balance there. Nobody is working harder than the offensive and defensive staffs."
It doesn't sound like any changes are coming from a staff perspective right now, despite the struggles. If there are any alterations, Odom is playing it close to the vest.
Would an NIL salary cap benefit Purdue?
The Big Ten has proposed a $49 million "salary cap" for schools to utilize to pay its student-athletes. That's a fairly high number, but it could level the playing field — at least to some extent — among the 18 teams in the conference.
Odom said that Purdue is committed to being aggressive and competitive in the financial market, and this structure could help the program move forward.
"Purdue has proven in our conversations in the last couple of months that we're going to be aggressive and do everything we can to give our sports teams the backing, and support, and resources and necessary to be competitive in this conference and nationally," Odom said. "I think when that number was floated around, some were really excited about it, and some were disappointed about it."
In a recent report run by The Athletic, Purdue was at the bottom of the Big Ten in terms of money it spent on its roster for the 2026 season.
Preparing for Maryland without Mike Locksley
Two weeks ago, Maryland decided to part ways with head coach Mike Locksley after a tough start to the season. The Terrapins played their first game under new leadership, falling 20-17 to Illinois on Saturday.
Sometimes, with a coaching change come schematic or philosophical changes. Odom hasn't seen much of that from the Terrapins on either side of the football, though the sample size is just one contest.
"They've played once since the coaching change," he said. "Defensively, the continuity of the staff is still there ... the players, where they're lining them up and playing percentages and all the data points that you look at still match up similarly.
"Offensively, it doesn't look like they've changed because they've got the same guy calling it who was before."
Maryland has struggled mightily this year. It enters this weekend's game 2-6 on the year and is winless in Big Ten play.
Importance of staying healthy
One of the positives for Purdue this season has been the health of the team. The Boilermakers have only had two players with season-ending injuries, and both Joey Tanona (OT) and Mister Clark (DB) came off the injury list last week.
Jaden Mangham (DB) and De'Nylon Morrissette (WR) missed Saturday's game against Penn State due to injuries, but Odom expects both guys to be back.
Having a healthy team in November is important, and Odom is pleased with where the team stands from that perspective.
"I would say, across the country right now, we would be among the most healthy teams if you judge it on injury reports," he said. "That's a great thing. It speaks volumes to strength and conditioning, sports nutrition, sports medicine. And then our players buying in to what it takes from a preparation and recovery standpoint."
Odom did not say whether or not he expects Mangham and Morrissette to be back this week or at some point later this month.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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