5 Key Numbers From Purdue's Week 1 Win Over Indiana State

Purdue took care of Indiana State 44-19 in Friday’s season opener. Find out the most important numbers to take away from the Boilermaker victory.

Purdue's Mason Vicari (51) pumps up the crowd on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, during the NCAA football game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Indiana State Sycamores at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. Purdue defeated Indiana State University 44-19. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Purdue kicked off its season Friday night with a 44-19 victory over Indiana State. Although the Boilermakers got off to a slow start, a 21-0 third quarter broke the game open and secured Purdue’s first win in nearly a calendar year.

Here are the most important numbers to take away from Purdue’s opening-night victory.

19 Points Allowed

Kevin Kane’s return as Purdue’s defensive coordinator has been one of the most discussed storylines of the offseason. Kane didn’t have an incredibly impressive first stint in West Lafayette, and Friday night didn’t necessarily build confidence in a significant change in defensive philosophy.

The Boilermaker defense gave up 19 points to the Sycamores, which was underwhelming considering Purdue shut out Indiana State just a couple of years ago with Ryan Walters at the helm. Sure, 13 of those points came in the fourth quarter with starters out of the game, but Sycamore quarterback Elijah Owens still looked good against the ones, throwing for 101 yards and rushing for 60.

7.9 Yards per Carry

Purdue's Fame Ijeboi signals for a first down on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, during the NCAA football game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Indiana State Sycamores at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Purdue’s running back room has been the talk of the town throughout the offseason. With three transfers brought in, the overwhelming consensus was that Fame Ijeboi had the strongest case to start. He did Friday night and provided one of the Boilermakers’ best performances.

On just 11 carries, Ijeboi rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown, averaging 7.9 yards per carry. It still remains a question of how the rest of the carry share shakes out within the backfield, but one thing’s for sure: Barry Odom has his feature back. If Ijeboi can replicate his performance on higher volume, Purdue’s offense should be much improved.

85 Penalty Yards

You can expect Week 1 to be sloppy from a penalty perspective for just about everybody, and Purdue ran into that reality. The Boilermakers committed nine penalties for a total of 85 yards, giving Indiana State multiple opportunities it otherwise wouldn’t have had.

How much of the penalty numbers you can put on the first game is still yet to be seen, but the total needs to come down going forward. It will be an adjustment period on the offensive line with four new starters, but you can’t make things more difficult than they need to be. Purdue ended up being okay against Indiana State, but 85 penalty yards will not fly going forward.

0 Turnovers

Sep 4, 2026; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers quarterback Ryan Browne (15) catches a snap against the Indiana State Sycamores during the third quarter at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Expecting few to no turnovers against an FCS opponent might sound obvious, but against Southern Illinois last season, Purdue lost the turnover battle. It was essential for Ryan Browne to take care of the ball, and he did a good job of it Friday. Outside of a few risky throws, Browne made better decisions than he did this time last year.

Without a large margin for error in the coming weeks, taking care of the football is a big deal. The volume of forced turnovers defensively is still to be seen, but the goose egg in Purdue’s column is a positive. It’s just Indiana State, but no turnovers sets a nice precedent.

107 Receiving Yards

My biggest question offensively heading into Friday night was who would step up at receiver. Last season, it looked like Arhmad Branch would be the number one option after the season opener. This year, that guy is Asaad Waseem.

Waseem caught six passes for 107 yards and burned a Sycamore defensive back for an 18-yard touchdown reception. Friday night highlighted that the Florida Atlantic transfer has the speed and twitchiness to create separation and make plays. Now the question becomes whether he’ll follow in Branch’s footsteps or consistently prove to be a number one option at wideout.

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