5 Thoughts From Purdue's 52-38 Loss to UCLA
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Halloween is still more than one month away on the calendar, but Purdue still brought out the disguise of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde when it played at Rose Bowl Stadium on Saturday night. The offense gave the Boilermakers a chance to snap their long Big Ten losing streak, while the defense essentially sabotaged the effort.
Despite piling up 488 yards of offense and having two receivers totaling more than 140 yards, Purdue was on the wrong end of a 52-38 game against UCLA. The loss extends the program's Big Ten losing streak to 19 games and 22 contests against Power Four opponents.
Here are a few thoughts from Saturday night's shootout in Pasadena.
Couldn't get a stop on third down
You can point to a number of defensive statistics from Saturday night, and all of them are glaring. But the one that sticks out most is UCLA's success rate on third down. The Bruins were 11-of-14 in those situations, as Purdue's defense held strong on just three possessions all night.
But that's not even the most frustrating part for fans. Of those 11 conversions for UCLA, seven were 3rd-and-7 or longer. It includes a pair of 3-and-10 conversions, one on a 3rd-and-12 and another on a 3rd-and-15. These are situations Purdue's defense should win more than it loses.
Yet, UCLA's offense remained on the field for a majority of the night.
The odd offensive sequence in the fourth quarter
One of the few times Purdue's defense actually forced UCLA to punt came with 10 minutes to play in the fourth quarter. The Bruins led the game 45-38, and the Boilers had a chance to tie the game late. Given how well the offense had moved the ball, it seemed like a great opportunity for Barry Odom's squad.
Despite the success all night long, Purdue dialed up a pair of deep pass plays, both falling incomplete. Quarterback Ryan Browne then hit Asaad Waseem for a four-yard gain, but Purdue's offense trotted off the field less than a minute after taking over possession.
Purdue's offense is hardly to blame for Saturday's loss, but this was a wasted opportunity. The Boilers didn't need to test deep routes with so much time on the clock, especially considering the type of night Browne was having.
Immediately after getting the ball back, UCLA's Wayne Knight picked up 68 yards on two rushes and set up another touchdown for the Bruins, essentially icing the game.
Failing to stop UCLA's run with a backup QB on the field
With under two minutes to play in the third quarter and UCLA holding a 38-31 lead, Nico Iamaleave exited the game with an apparent shoulder injury. That brought in backup quarterback, and Nico's younger brother, Madden Iamaleava. Until Saturday night, he hadn't attempted a pass.
Purdue's defense was still stymied by UCLA's offensive line and rushing attack, despite knowing the Bruins would likely run the football. Facing a 3rd-and-8, Madden handed the ball off to Knight, who rushed 12 yards for a first down to keep the drive alive.
UCLA later picked up gains of 14 yards and a 17-yard touchdown run by Jaivian Thomas to take a 45-31 lead.
Three costly turnovers
Purdue's offense played extremely well Saturday night, but it wasn't blameless in the loss. Travis Terrell Jr. fumbled the football on the team's second possession of the game, allowing UCLA to jump out to a 21-7 lead. Asaad Waseem fumbled on the first play of Purdue's second drive of the third quarter, which ultimately let the Bruins regain a two-score advantage at 38-28.
Browne threw an interception on Purdue's final drive. He drove the offense down the field, then threw a pick near the end zone after getting the ball down to UCLA's 13-yard line.
In a game where Purdue's offense had to be flawless, those three turnovers loomed large.
The offense held up its end of the bargain
The offense put Purdue in a position to win a Big Ten game on the road. It nearly amassed 500 yards, put up 38 points and hit on a number of explosive plays. Browne deserves a ton of credit, completing 19-of-30 passes for 378 yards and three touchdowns.
Receivers Xavier Townsend and Waseem were both reliable targets throughout the night. Townsend had 162 yards and a touchdowns, including a 75-yard touchdown grap on Purdue's first possession. Waseem had 149 yards on eight receptions.
Purdue didn't accomplish much on the ground, rushing for just 63 yards on 28 carries, but the pass game was effective from start to finish. That unit played well enough to win in Pasadena.
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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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