Not that there’s ever a good time to go 1-11 in college football but Purdue sure picked the worst possible year to do it.
As in-state rival Indiana suddenly got really good, really quick under first-year coach Curt Cignetti, capping its regular season with a 66-0 rout of the hapless Boilermakers to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff, it was apparent change was needed in West Lafayette.
Out went Ryan Walters, in came Barry Odom and now Purdue hopes for improvement, beginning Saturday when it opens a new season at home against Ball State.
Odom, who did very good work at UNLV the last couple of years, is nearly starting from scratch with the Boilermakers. Almost every starter is new, although the return of quarterback Ryan Browne to the program after he portaled to Bill Belichick’s North Carolina at least gives them hope the offense can enjoy some success.
“Showed competitive spirit in the opportunities he had last year,” Odom said of Browne. “I think he’s got a big upside.”
Odom loaded up on offensive linemen, bringing three with him from UNLV and also welcoming three former SEC linemen.
Ball State is also starting from scratch under its new coach, Mike Uremovich. The former Butler boss replaced Mike Neu, who was fired after a 3-9 year capped a 40-63 run over nine seasons in Muncie.
The Cardinals return just three starters on offense and four on defense, which might not be such a bad thing considering how bad they were last year.
They feel like they will be much improved on defense with a line that features Bryant transfer Nathan Voorhis, who has displayed the ability to get to the quarterback.
“The defensive line is the most improved unit we have since we’ve gotten here,” said Uremovich.
Kiael Kelly is back at quarterback after not playing last year and could give the offense a much-needed dual threat. With an inexperienced line in front of him, his legs could come in handy.
Purdue has won all eight matchups in the teams’ series, which has been dormant since 2010.
