Good, bad & ugly from Purdue's win over Indiana State and what it means vs Wake Forest

WEST LAFAYETTE − Indiana State is in the rear view and Purdue football will now punch against a program in its weight class Saturday when Wake Forest visits Ross-Ade Stadium.

The focus for Game 2 is a better start.

While Purdue moved the ball with relative ease in the first half against Indiana State, it couldn't capitalize in the red zone on a couple occasions and the defense allowed big plays on third down that ultimately set up Indiana State field goals.

The Boilermakers won't be able to recover from that as easily against the Demon Deacons.

Still, a 44-19 victory did give Purdue a chance to show off some newcomers, notably safety Mister Clark, cornerback Don Saunders, running back Fame Ijeboi and receivers Xavier Townsend and Asaad Waseem, who were each targeted eight times and combined for 13 receptions.

Here's the good, the bad and the ugly from the Indiana State victory and what that means in a more high profile game in Week 2:

Purdue football performances that need to carry over vs. Wake Forest

∎ Fame Ijeboi: The Minnesota transfer put together an impressive Week 1 highlight reel. In all, 117 yards on 13 touches, including two receptions for 30 yards. Though his long touchdown run didn't count, it was fun to watch Ijeboi duck and dodge defenders down the sideline. Ijeboi also looks like Purdue's best blocker in the backfield. This isn't a breakout performance. He had 108 yards on 17 carries against Michigan State last season and an 85-yard performance against Cal. Wake Forest allowed 4.1 yards per carry in its 38-16 win over Akron, though Zips running backs produced just 74 yards on 19 carries. Ijeboi had just 11 carries against Indiana State as the Boilermakers split reps. It was evident Ijeboi will need to be a bigger part of the run game as those carries get shared less evenly. Does that start this Saturday?

∎ Don Saunders: He was touted as Purdue's best cornerback by those who'd battled against him throughout camp. In his first game as a Boiler, Saunders was targeted three times. One resulted in a pick six, one was incomplete and the other was a catch where he made a tackle in the backfield for a 2-yard loss. Wake QB Gio Lopez threw for 350 yards and 3 touchdowns last week. Safe to say Saunders may have a few more opportunities on Saturday.

More: Purdue football can change perspective based on what happens beyond ISU win

∎ Jacob Echeverria Lozano and Dylan Drennan: Drennan had just one chance to show off his leg, but his lone punt was 54 yards. Drennan was one of the nation's best last season at Buffalo. I'm confident Purdue will have to punt more than once against Wake Forest. Drennan's leg can be a weapon that puts Purdue's defense in advantageous situations. Ecehverria Lozano hasn't been tested from long yet, but he made good on three first half field goal attempts, which should build confidence in a freshman already with a lot of belief in himself. Ideally, Purdue doesn't stall in the red zone, but if it does, it's nice to know it can still walk away with points. While Lozano's long was 39 yards, it split the uprights with a lot of yards to spare, so it's fair to say he's got a lot of range.

∎ Ryan Browne: Purdue's QB missed a couple throws, but it's tough to be critical of 316 yards, 3 TDs and a 79.3% completion rate. Most importantly, no turnovers. Skeptics will remain until seeing if Browne can duplicate that efficiency against Wake Forest, which did allow a combined 28-for-33 showing from two Akron quarterbacks. Browne has mobility, but I'm not sure trying to punch in a touchdown before the half on a QB run from the 7 was the right move. It turned out not to be on Friday night. Browne may have chances to gain yards with his legs on Saturday. Akron QB Cibastion Broughton was the team's leading rusher, rushing for 82 yards; take away sack adjusted rushing stats and Broughton gained 95 yards on 12 carries.

What Purdue football must improve against Wake Forest

∎ Offensive line play: Pass protection was pretty good overall and though Ijeboi helped make the rushing attack look legit, the Boilermakers didn't grade out so well in run blocking. Purdue's highest-rated run blocker according to Pro Football Focus was true freshman left guard Brock Brownfield. Brownfield has all the upside, but with a veteran starting offensive line around him, more is expected as a unit overall.

More: Report card grades for Purdue football's win over Indiana State

∎ Eliminate big plays on third down: Indiana State's two first-half scoring drives included a 24-yard reception on third-and-11 and a 41-yard toss on a third-and-9. Picking up the first down is one thing. But allowing teams make big plays and get in scoring range in those scenarios will be a backbreaker against better offenses. Wake Forest converted 7 of 15 third downs against Akron.

What Purdue football can't let happen again

∎ Getting beat over the top: Yes, Indiana State's two touchdowns came against a Purdue defense that had some backups in the game. But first team guys were still on the field on the back end when Brady Allen launched two bombs for touchdowns. Justin Denson Jr. had some highlights throughout fall camp and was brought to West Lafayette partially based on his experience playing in the Big Ten. He was on the wrong end of two catches for 86 yards. Denson, Jaden Mangham, Justin Slaughter and Mister Clark have to be good for Purdue's defense to have success. I'm not sure you could say all of them were on Friday.

∎ Too many penalties: Barry Odom seemed baffled by the nine penalties that cost Purdue 85 yards. In three fall camp scrimmages refereed by Big Ten officials, penalties didn't appear as egregious. An unsportsmanlike penalty after knocking a guy out of bounds is just a case of having awareness. Football is an emotional game, but smart football can be the difference in winning and losing games like the next one on Purdue's schedule.

Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Good, bad & ugly from Purdue's win over Indiana State and what it means vs Wake Forest