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As Crystal Balls Go, First Games Don’t Mean Much
As tempting as it may be for fans to predict future success or failure for a Purdue football head coach after his first game, history says your results may vary.
Barry Odom makes his debut Saturday in Ross-Ade Stadium against Ball State, and the Boilermakers are 18 and a half-point favorites. As Purdue fans discovered to their chagrin a year ago, beating Indiana State 49-0 was no sign of what was to come.
Going back to College Football Hall of Fame coach Jack Mollenkopf’s debut in 1956, Purdue head coaches have gone 5-7 in their openers.
Another College Football Hall of Fame coach, Jim Young, lost his first game as a Boilermaker. He went on to lead Purdue to three consecutive bowl victories and the school’s only 10-win season.
Toledo spoiled Joe Tiller’s return to Purdue but many fans remember all too well what happened the following week against Notre Dame.
Then there’s Darrell Hazell and Ryan Walters. Purdue’s 42-7 loss at Cincinnati foretold a brief stay in West Lafayette for Hazell.
Known for his defenses at Illinois, it was disheartening to watch Walters’ Boilermakers blow a 28-17 lead in the second half of his debut against Fresno State in 2023.
Here’s a look at the first games for Purdue football head coaches over the past 69 years.
Jack Mollenkopf
Sept. 29, 1956: Purdue 16, Missouri 7
“It’s no secret that inability to sweep or run outside the tackles has been a Purdue weakness for years,” Lafayette Journal and Courier sports editor Gordon Graham wrote following the Boilermakers’ victory.
That changed against the Tigers, even with future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson beginning his senior season in West Lafayette. Running back Tommy Fletcher, who carried the ball 11 times during the 1955 season, doubled that output against Missouri while picking up 154 yards and a touchdown.
Purdue rushed for 304 yards, and Dawson added 118 through the air.
Lamar Lundy, the 6-7 defensive end/wide receiver who would be voted team MVP, batted down three Missouri passes.
Purdue would finish 3-4-2, the only losing season of Mollenkopf’s 13-year tenure.
Bob DeMoss
Sept. 19, 1970: Purdue 15, TCU 0
A long-time assistant under Mollenkopf, DeMoss was the early beneficiary of a sophomore class that arguably is the best in Purdue history.
Gregg Bingham led the defensive effort with five tackles for loss among his 14 total. Otis Armstrong rushed for 100 yards on 22 carries in his varsity debut.
Things went downhill for DeMoss and Purdue after winning 26-14 at No. 3 Stanford in the third week of the season. The Boilermakers lost five of six afterward but a 40-0 shutout of Indiana salvaged a 4-6 finish.
Alex Agase
Sept. 15, 1973: Purdue 14, Wisconsin 13
The breaks went the Boilermakers’ way in Madison, starting with guard Ralph Perretta fielding a Mike Pruitt fumble in the end zone 24 seconds into the second half.
Purdue quarterback Bo Bobrowski scored the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, running 9 yards untouched on a third-and-9 play. Frank Conner’s second extra point kick made it 14-7 with 10:58 to go.
Wisconsin closed within a point six minutes later but a bobbled snap on the extra point proved costly.
Tough losses to Miami (Ohio) and Notre Dame the next two weeks would lead to a 5-6 finish.
Jim Young
Sept. 10, 1977: Michigan State 19, Purdue 14
Seven turnovers spoiled Young’s day in East Lansing, but Mark Herrmann’s debut at quarterback was a sign of things to come.
Taking over for starter Joe Metallic after the senior’s second interception, Herrmann was 20 of 32 for 282 yards with touchdown passes to Raymond Smith and John Skibinski in the second half.
Future World Series hero Kirk Gibson of Michigan State was held to one catch for five yards, and the Purdue defense allowed no touchdowns after the first quarter.
Purdue finished 5-6 after losing the Old Oaken Bucket to Indiana in Bloomington.
Leon Burtnett
Sept. 11, 1982: Stanford 35, Purdue 14
John Elway passed for 333 yards and four touchdowns to help Stanford avenge a loss a year earlier.
Scott Campbell was intercepted three times and threw a touchdown pass for Purdue. Backup QB Jim Everett came off the bench to run for a TD.
Purdue opened the season with five consecutive losses and finished with a 3-8 record.
Fred Akers
Sept. 12, 1987: Washington 28, Purdue 10
There was little to celebrate during the 100th season of Boilermaker football, starting with the loss to the 12th-ranked Huskies in Seattle.
Four interceptions, a fumble return for a touchdown and a blocked punt that set up another touchdown was more than enough for Washington. The Huskies held Purdue to 39 yards rushing.
Purdue finished 3-7-1 in its 100th season.
Jim Colletto
Sept. 7, 1991: Purdue 49, Eastern Michigan 3
The Boilermakers rushed for 289 yards after finishing dead last nationally in rushing the season before.
The margin of victory was the most lopsided for Purdue since beating Boston University 62-7 in 1947.
Colletto saved his praise for the defense, which collected four interceptions and a fumble recovery. Linebacker Jim Schwantz returned an interception 66 yards for a touchdown in the game’s first two minutes.
Purdue finished 4-7, including a 24-22 loss at Indiana.
Joe Tiller
Sept. 6, 1997: Toledo 36, Purdue 22
The Rockets met little resistance from the Boilermaker defense, scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions and coming away with points on five of their first six drives.
But there were signs of things to come. Brian Alford had a career-best 209 receiving yards, and Drew Brees made his Purdue debut with a touchdown pass to Vinny Sutherland in the fourth quarter.
To the astonishment of fans who endured 12 consecutive losing seasons, Purdue shocked No. 12 Notre Dame the following week to begin a six-game winning streak. The Boilermakers finished 9-3 with an Alamo Bowl victory against Oklahoma State.
Danny Hope
Sept. 5, 2009: Purdue 52, Toledo 31
Purdue racked up 535 yards, aided by Ralph Bolden’s 231 yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns.
Fifth-year senior quarterback Joey Elliott was 17 of 28 passing for 220 yards and three touchdowns.
In a reversal of what occurred under Hope’s former boss, Joe Tiller, the Boilermakers followed up with a five-game losing streak that would illustrate the inconsistency of Hope’s teams over the next four seasons.
Purdue finished 5-7 but five of those losses were by a combined 21 points.
Darrell Hazell
Aug. 31, 2013: Cincinnati 42, Purdue 7
The first sign this would be the first Boilermaker team to go winless in the Big Ten since 1993 was this egg laid on a hot day in Cincinnati.
The Bearcats put up 35 consecutive points after Purdue tied the game late in the first half.
Just like last season’s 1-11 team, Hazell’s only victory came the following week against Indiana State. Unlike Ryan Walters’ final victory, Purdue held on for a 20-14 victory thanks to Ricardo Allen’s interception with 19 seconds to go.
Jeff Brohm
Sept. 2, 2017: Louisville 35, Purdue 28
The 16th ranked Cardinals and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson were supposed to easily win this game at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Brohm’s offense and a fired-up defense instead pushed his alma mater to the limit, leading Louisville in the fourth quarter. Elijah Sindelar and David Blough combined for four touchdown passes.
Linebacker Danny Ezechukwu halted the Cardinals’ opening drive, scooping up a fumble at the Purdue 1. Fellow linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley forced another fumble that halted a potential scoring drive.
Purdue finished 7-6, closing the season with a win at Iowa, defeating Indiana in Ross-Ade Stadium and topping Arizona in the Foster Farms Bowl.
Ryan Walters
Sept. 2, 2023: Fresno State 39, Purdue 35
Hired on the basis of his strength as a defensive coordinator, Walters watched his defense blow a three-point lead in the final minute.
Hudson Card threw for 254 yards and two touchdowns. Devin Mockobee put Purdue ahead 35-32 on a touchdown run with 4:36 remaining. Tyrone Tracy Jr. returned the second half kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown that made it 28-17 Purdue.
Purdue finished 4-8, winning two out of three games to close the season.
Kenny Thompson is the former sports editor for the Lafayette Journal & Courier and an award-winning journalist. He has covered Purdue athletics for many years.