WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue football team opened its season with a runaway 44-19 victory over Indiana State on Friday night at Ross-Ade Stadium.
The Boilermakers amassed 523 yards of offense, finding the end zone four times while adding three field goals and a pick-six. Junior quarterback Ryan Browne completed 23-of-29 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns, recording the fourth 300-yard passing game of his career.
It marked Purdue’s first 500-yard offensive performance since Browne’s first career start at Illinois on Oct. 12, 2024.
The Boilermakers put together three drives of 11 or more plays in the first half but settled for three field goals and a touchdown, taking a 16-6 lead into halftime. Purdue came out of the locker room firing on all cylinders, finding the end zone on each of its first three drives of the second half before Browne was pulled once the game was firmly in hand.
Senior defensive back Don Saunders added to the fun when he housed a 35-yard interception return, giving the Purdue defense its first pick-six since 2022.
A crowd of 49,019 braved the heat for Purdue’s hottest recorded night game at Ross-Ade Stadium since at least 2000. The on-field temperature reached 93 degrees, with a real feel of 103.
With the victory, head coach Barry Odom became the first Purdue head coach to win his first two season openers since Jim Colletto in 1991-92. The 44 points scored were the most of the Odom era to this point.