Purdue QB questions linger in bye week

WEST LAFAYETTE – Purdue football hit the distance, so to speak, in its 35-0 loss to No. 2 Oregon on Friday night.

At first, it looked as if the Boilermakers would be left in the dust once again – reigniting a troubling theme. Instead, they hung on by one leg and forced the Ducks to send them to their first shutout loss at home since 2013.

Purdue couldn't capitalize on enough of last week's improvements to challenge the Ducks, nor did it fully return to its early-season woes. It was never dangerous, but the pace of the game and a second wind from the defense kept it a reasonable game.

Now follows two weeks of preparation for a possible referendum on the future of the program. Ryan Walters and his staff need to capitalize on the best moments of the last two weeks and provide some consistency before a Nov. 3 home game against Northwestern.

Rating the Boilers after their 2-0 loss to the Pacific Northwest:

Purdue offense: F

Ryan Browne may have had a chance to eliminate the quarterback question as an off-week storyline. No such luck. After playing so confidently at Illinois, he had some nervous moments Friday. Too many negative plays and too many penalties before the snap. Shortening the game was a smart plan, but if you can't get into the end zone, all you have to do is beat the margin. Once again, Purdue came into the game with the nation's worst average of 3.1 first-half points – and underperformed that average.

Purdue Defense: C-

Keeping up with Dillon Gabriel and his weapons would have been a tall order with a good secondary. With Nyland Green unavailable, the Ducks QB started the game 12 of 13 for 208 yards. It wasn't until the final minutes of the first half that Purdue offered any resistance. Oregon averaged 7.03 yards per play and averaged 7.2 yards per play on Friday. It's still not good enough, but the defense's chaotic volatility simply needs all the help it can get from its offense. If that happens, a game like this might also be a four-quarter conversation.

Purdue special teams: C-

This device always comes up with great moments. Tonight it was a 64-yard punt by Keelan Crimmins at the 1st (Oregon covered the remaining 99 yards in six plays.) Spencer Porath's missed 36-yard field goal in the first half ended his streak of five makes in Consequence. Not good, but until this offense stops holding him accountable for all of his first-half points, Purdue has bigger problems than placekicking.

Purdue Coaching: D-

This will show up at the buzzer, so I'm curious to see how much Purdue added to the offensive playbook in the postgame. Oregon was clearly much more prepared for Browne's zone-read game than Illinois. Hitting the field goal when down 4-4 to make it 21-0 is one of many damn situations Walters has ever faced. However, for the second week in a row, the coaches didn't rely on a power running option on a crucial short-yardage look. Maybe it's time to try out Devin Mockobee or even Browne himself on the next crucial third or fourth-and-1. I'm not sure what the reasoning is for keeping the starters down 35-0, but it looked particularly bad when Corey Stewart was down with 1:53 left.

Game history Oregon vs. Purdue:

After Purdue returned that punt on the 1st, Oregon responded with six consecutive plays of more than 9 yards. The key was a 39-yard completion from Gabriel to Kenyon Sadiq for the third straight touchdown and a 21-0 lead.

Players of the game Oregon vs. Purdue:

No quarterback controversy in Eugene. Gabriel finished 21 of 25 for 290 yards and two touchdowns.