What Purdue's Barry Odom Said After Loss Against USC Trojans

The USC Trojans are 3-0 following a win against the Purdue Boilermakers. Despite the win, Purdue gave USC coach Lincoln Riley and the Trojans a fight. What did Purdue Boilermakers coach Barry Odom say after the loss against the USC Trojans?

oAug 30, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers head coach Barry Odom looks up at the video board during the second half against the Ball State Cardinals at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans are 3-1, improving to 1-0 in Big Ten conference play following a 33-17 win against the Purdue Boilermakers. Purdue now drops to a 2-1 record, suffering their first Big Ten loss.

After a three-hour weather delay, USC earned its first conference win of the season. While the final score may not show it, Purdue put up a strong fight, challenging the Trojans throughout the game. Purdue Boilermakers coach Barry Odom spoke about the loss against USC during his postgame press conference.

What Purdue’s Barry Odom Said About Loss Against USC

Jul 24, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Purdue head coach Barry Odom speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days at Mandalay Bay Resort. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

"Against a good team, when you turn it over three times and you don't get any back on the defensive side, this makes it really hard to win," Odom said to reporters postgame. “You know, playing a good team and you know that you gotta step into the ring and into the arena and be ready for them to swing,”

“If we do anything but play to win until the scoreboard hits zero, then I’ve failed the organization,” Odom said about keeping it close to USC. “We were capturing momentum and couldn’t keep it on our side.

Purdue football head coach Barry Odom addresses the media Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, during the welcoming of Odom at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. | Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In the third quarter, Purdue had a touchdown play resulting from two laterals. Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne threw to running back Michael Jackson, who then sent the ball back in Browne’s direction on the other side of the field. Odom acknowledged the need for trick plays.

“I think we gotta be aggressive on offense. In some cases, like we were tonight with deceptive plays. If it presents the opportunity to call those. You know, I don’t know how 18 read it, their defense, or their linebacker, but he did a great job reading it. Held back, luckily Ryan made a heads-up play,” Odom said.

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USC Shows Grit Against Purdue

Sep 13, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley stands on the sidelines during the first quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

While USC scored 33 points, the Purdue Boilermakers put pressure on the Trojans to perform for all four quarters. This was the closest game for USC coach Lincoln Riley and the Trojans yet. USC had a slow start, but still managed to control the game, as the Trojans entered halftime with a 17-3 lead. 

While USC controlled the game, this was the first matchup where quarterback Jayden Maiava had to step up to keep the team in it. Maiava started the game in a big way with a 54-yard pass on his first attempt. The quarterback finished the game going 17-of-28 for 282 yards.

Though it took time to get the run game going, the team finished with 178 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Running back Waymond Jordan is continuing to show that he was a big pickup by USC this offseason. He finished the game with 77 rushing yards and one touchdown.

The Trojans' defense allowed some big plays that kept Purdue in the matchup throughout. Browne had a strong performance for Purdue despite turnovers, finishing the game with 305 passing yards.

Aug 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts during the game against the Missouri State Bears at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Though there were some mistakes that must be cleaned up, the Trojans had several big plays that helped secure the win. USC safety Bishop Fitzgerald was a game changer on the defense, catching two interceptions.

The play of the game may have come in the third quarter when defensive lineman Jamaal Jarrett caught a deflected pass and took it in for a touchdown. The Trojans had just a 13-point lead at the time, and Jarrett’s pick-six extended it to 20.

The USC Trojans will next face the Michigan State Spartans on Saturday, Sep. 20, at 8 p.m. PT at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.