Purdue football loss to UCLA features high honors and a tutor needed
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Purdue football showed its aerial attack that looked like some throwback Boilermaker teams.
It also showed an awful defense that is a staple of the program over the past three-plus seasons in its 52-38 loss to UCLA on Saturday at Rose Bowl Stadium.
Purdue briefly had a 28-24 lead in the second half, only to see its defense give it right back.
In the end, the Boilermakers (1-2, 0-1 Big Ten) suffered a 19th consecutive Big Ten loss.
How did Purdue grade out on its trip to the west coast?
Ryan Browne strong but Purdue offense can be cleaned up
Offense: B-
Offensive coordinator Josh Henson was masterful. But the offense was hindered by two early fumbles that led to UCLA touchdowns. For the third straight week, Ryan Browne looked phenomenal. But it was a bad mistake that killed any hopes of a Purdue comeback when he threw into a sea of Bruins and was picked off near the goal line in the fourth quarter.
Xavier Townsend received high praise from coaches and teammates throughout fall camp and had his breakout performance, which included a 75-yard touchdown on Purdue's first play. The Boilermakers had a touchdown by Chauncey Magwood wiped off the board when a receiver covered up tight end George Burhenn, who was ineligible downfield when he went out on a pass pattern.
Still, Purdue is not good enough to overcome three turnovers against anyone in the Big Ten.
Nico Iamaleava, UCLA run game exploit Purdue defense
Defense: F
Three consecutive touchdown drives to open the game. A missed field goal kept it from being four straight scoring drives.
UCLA's running game is legit, but Nico Iamaleava had zero touchdown passes through two games. He had two to Semaj Morgan in his first eight passes and finished with three. By halftime, the Bruins had 313 yards. Then they outdid their first-half performance over the final two quarters. UCLA finished with 645 yards on 8.1 yards per play.
Giving up a two-minute drive that went 76 yards in 13 plays to end the first half was a downer in what appeared to be a crucial moment.
UCLA continued its early season ground game dominance, but there's a lot of question marks about what was advertised as an upgraded secondary.
All the improvements Purdue has made since last season are being offset by a woefully bad defense.
Fake punt pass highlights special teams at UCLA
Special teams: B
It was a small sample size to work with, but coordinator James Shibest's unit continues to be a bright spot. Two penalties hurt the special teams units.
When asked in camp about his confidence as a passer, Dylan Drennan said it's something he works on. That should be a given under Shibest, who has no shortage of tricks up his sleeve. Drennan showed off his ability throwing with a 47-yard pass to Antonio Harris that set up Jacobo Echeverria Lozano's lone field goal.
If not for that interception late, it would've been interesting to see what Purdue had in terms of an onside kick.
Punters are passers too ‼️
📺 @BigTenNetwork | #ForTheBrandpic.twitter.com/BXFCa0Il2j
— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) September 20, 2026
Defensive staff drags Purdue coaching grade
Coaching: C
This is mostly a discredit to the defensive staff more than anything. If it is inadequate players that are on the field, that goes back to those coaches in the recruiting evaluations.
The fake punt came at an ideal time. If Harris doesn't slip, he might score there. Instead, Purdue settled for a red zone field goal, its sixth in three games.
UCLA running back Wayne Knight is big-time player
MVP: Wayne Knight
Wayne Knight rushed for nearly 1,400 yards last season at James Madison and entered Saturday averaging 8 yards per carry through two games. Knight bettered that against an abysmal Purdue defense, rushing for 177 yards on 18 carries, a 9.8 yards per tote average.
Nathan Baird and Sam King have the best Purdue sports coverage, and sign up for IndyStar's Boilermakers newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue football loss to UCLA features high honors and a tutor needed
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