Purdue QB Ryan Browne Shouts Out Boilermaker Fans as 'Best in the Country'

There are several fanbases that might be hesitant to fill a stadium just a year after a 1-11 season on the gridiron. On Saturday afternoon, though, quarterback Ryan Brown and his Boilermaker teammates took the field in front of a large crowd inside Ross-Ade Stadium for the season opener against Ball State.

Purdue put on quite a show for the nearly 54,000 in attendance, taking down Ball State 31-0 to start the year 1-0. It was a big win for coach Barry Odom, who made his debut as the leader of the Boilers.

Following Saturday's game, Browne was asked about the support Purdue received from its fanbase following a disappointing 2024 campaign. He gave a major shoutout to everyone in West Lafayette on Saturday.

"I would say we have the best fans in the country," Browne said. "The reason I say that is because, no matter what happened in the past, Game 1 this year, everybody was there and ready to go. That means a lot to us. It makes it a lot easier to play hard."

Students display a homemade sign to celebrate Purdue Boilermakers quarterback Ryan Browne (15) | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Browne had an outstanding performance in Saturday's game, throwing for 311 yards and two touchdowns while completing 18-of-26 pass attempts. He also had a rushing touchdown in the victory.

But Browne wasn't the only one who was excited to see Ross-Ade Stadium full on Saturday. Defensive end CJ Madden was also encouraged by the turnout.

"Ross-Ade was lit today. Big shoutout to all the fans who supported us for our first game," Madden said. "We're going to put on a good show for y'all for the rest of the season. It was amazing."

At the end of the day, Browne says that he and his teammates play the game for the fans. Getting a chance to play in front of such a passionate fanbase made Saturday's shutout victory over Ball State even sweeter.

"Winning for your fans is the best part of winning," he said. "If you go out to your game and you have nobody there rooting for you, it's a completely different game. Without them, the game wouldn't be as much fun."

The Boilermakers are hoping to have a similar turnout at Ross-Ade Stadium next week, as they host Southern Illinois in Week 2. It will be Purdue's first night game of the 2025 season, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. ET and the game airing on Big Ten Network.

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