WEST LAFAYETTE, IN — Purdue turned a close game into a runaway Friday night, scoring 28 second-half points to pull away from Indiana State 44-19 in the season opener at Ross-Ade Stadium.
The Boilermakers led 16-6 at halftime before their offense found another gear. Quarterback Ryan Browne completed 23 of 29 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns, helping Purdue finish with more than 500 yards of total offense.
Asaad Waseem was Browne’s leading target with six catches for 107 yards and a touchdown. Transfer running back Fame Ijeboi also made an immediate impact, contributing more than 100 all-purpose yards and a touchdown as Purdue’s running game steadily wore down the Sycamores.
“We’ve got a lot of things we can clean up, but I really liked the way our guys responded after halftime,” Purdue coach Barry Odom said. “We talked about finishing drives, and I thought we did a much better job of that in the second half.”
Indiana State showed early fight, moving the ball effectively on its opening possession and keeping Purdue from pulling away during the first half. The Sycamores struggled to maintain that momentum, however, as Purdue’s defense began forcing longer third downs and limiting scoring opportunities.
Purdue took advantage of the defensive stops and gradually built its lead. Browne connected with Tra’Mar Harris for a touchdown to extend the advantage to 30-6 before finding Waseem for an 18-yard score later in the second half.
The Boilermakers also received a major contribution from their defense when Don Saunders intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown, pushing Purdue’s lead to 44-6 and effectively putting the game out of reach.
Indiana State continued to compete in the fourth quarter, with quarterback Brady Allen connecting with freshman Jayden Reed for a touchdown. Max McCool added another touchdown for the Sycamores, but the deficit was too large to overcome.
The Boilermakers’ defense held Indiana State to roughly 160 yards through the first three quarters and consistently disrupted drives when the Sycamores threatened to score.
Purdue’s biggest concern was its discipline. The Boilermakers committed six first-half penalties for 45 yards, including a holding penalty that wiped out a touchdown and another score that was negated by a penalty.
“We’ve got to get the penalties cleaned up,” Odom said. “You can’t play winning football when you continue to put yourself behind the chains.”
The victory extended Purdue’s dominance in the series, as the Boilermakers improved to 7-0 all time against Indiana State.
Purdue will remain at home next week when it hosts Wake Forest. Indiana State will travel to face Eastern Illinois.