Ryan Browne's first start went so well Purdue coach Ryan Walters is giving him another chance.
Only this time, Browne will step onto the national stage, trying to snap a five-game losing streak while derailing No. 2 Oregon's Big Ten title hopes and championship dreams. He might not even do it alone. But the message from Walters is clear: Just keep it going.
“I think the way he played it (at Illinois), it would be unfair not to (start him),” Walters said. “The things we saw during the game is what we were seeing during practice. Obviously, you don’t know what it’s going to look like until you get in live situations. I’m looking forward to watching his growth and maturation this week.”
Browne threw for 297 yards and three scores while rushing for 118 yards and rallying the Boilermakers (1-5, 0-3 Big Ten) from a 21-point halftime deficit to a late lead at then-No. 23 Illinois, only to lose 50-49 in overtime.
Still, Walters couldn’t pull the plug on a second-year player who gave his team some desperately needed momentum — even if he got the chance because opening day starter Hudson Card remained in the concussion protocol. Even if Card is cleared this week, Walters has hinted he may use some sort of quarterback rotation.
Why not, given what's at stake Friday night?
The Ducks (6-0, 3-0) are in a three-way tie atop the Big Ten, reveling in their highest ranking since the end of the 2014 season, leapfrogging Ohio State after holding on for a 32-31 victory over the then-No. 2 Buckeyes.
Clearly, the Ducks are looking past Purdue.
Yes, this might be a natural spot for an upset.
Oregon enters this weekend on a seven-game winning streak and with only one loss in its previous 14 games. It has topped the 30-point mark in five straight and faces the reeling Boilermakers, who scored 46 second-half points last weekend after scoring just 44 total in the previous four games combined.
So Oregon coach Dan Lanning is guarding against human nature — making a 2,200-mile trip on a short week following one of the biggest wins in program history.
“We’re always playing Oregon and (figuring out) how we can improve and how we can get better,” Lanning said. “I think our guys are certainly aware of other situations in college football. It’s what makes this sport so great and hard, is that you've got to go out there and earn it every Saturday, every single weekend, Friday this week.”
Two weeks ago, Walters fired offensive coordinator Graham Harrell and tabbed offensive analyst Jason Simmons to call plays. Then last week, Walters did it himself.
Walters had so much fun calling plays and proved so successful over the final 30 minutes — the Boilermakers' comeback attempt fell just short when they failed on a 2-point conversion — that he’s keeping the job.
“The week of the Wisconsin game I spent learning the vocab, the rules within the offense. I didn’t feel comfortable calling it that game," Walters said. "Got to midweek last week and felt like I had the vocab down enough to know what play I wanted to get to, so I just felt like me calling the game was going to give us the best opportunity to put points on the board.”
With the college football world tuning into last week's Ohio State-Oregon game, Ducks receiver Traeshon Holden found himself watching most of the final three quarters like everyone else — on television.
The Alabama transfer was ejected early in the second quarter for spitting on an opponent. While Holden apologized in a social media post Sunday for his actions, the ramifications didn't end there. Lanning said he was handling the discipline internally.
“There’s absolutely zero place for that in our program, zero place for that in football,” Lanning said, adding he had reached out to Buckeyes coach Ryan Day. “I know Traeshon’s extremely apologetic. He’s embarrassed. He realizes how wrong he was in that moment. There is some discipline that exists there, but I’m going to leave that for us internally to handle.”
Walters has built his coaching career on defense, and facing the Ducks certainly creates some challenges.
His top priority is trying to slow down Oregon's up-tempo offense, a seemingly impossible task.
“There hasn’t been anybody yet to figure that out, right?” Walters said. “We’ll have to be strategic offensively about wanting to play with pace but also understanding that possessing the football is at premium. Then on defense, we've got to be able to get off the field.”
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Illinois wide receiver Collin Dixon catches a pass from quarterback Luke Altmyer as Purdue defensive back Dillon Thieneman defends during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Purdue defensive back Nyland Green (2) tips the ball away from Illinois wide receiver Pat Bryant during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Purdue head coach Ryan Walters watches the video replay screen during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Illinois on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne carries the ball during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Illinois on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) — Noman Ali and Sajid Khan claimed all 20 wickets on a recycled turning pitch as Pakistan ended a long wait for a home win with a 152-run victory over England in the second test on Friday.
Left-arm spinner Ali took 8-46 to finish with a match haul of 11 wickets and England was bowled out for 144 inside the first session on Day 4 on a tailor-made dry wicket.
Off-spinner Khan took 2-93 to go with his 7-111 in the first innings as both spinners bowled unchanged and ran through the tourists' batting lineup after Pakistan had set up a daunting target of 297 runs.
The win was first for captain Shan Masood, who lost six tests in a row since being elevated as red-ball skipper last year. It also ended Pakistan’s winless 11-match home run that included four losses against England.
Pakistan's last home test win came against South Africa in early 2021. Since, besides losing to England, it also lost home tests to Australia and recently 2-0 to Bangladesh.
“The first one is always special, after some rough times,” Masood said. “For the boys to step in, a lot has happened this past week, but we came up with a strategy to get 20 wickets and we made it happen.”
Masood was referring to Pakistan’s wholesale changes for the second test. Debutant Kamran Ghulam made an impeccable century in the first innings after he replaced out-of-form Babar Azam at No. 4 and Pakistan gambled with spinners Khan and Ali, who haven’t played red-ball cricket for nine months.
“Noman and Sajid are seasoned campaigners,” Masood said. “For Kamran it’s never easy to replace one of the best batters (Babar Azam) in the world, but to get that century was special.”
England capitulated against Khan and Ali for the second time in the match after it resumed on 36-2 and needed a further improbable 261 runs for victory of a tricky turning wicket.
Khan gleefully accepted a return catch from Ollie Pope on his second ball of the day before Ali cut through by claiming all the remaining seven wickets as the tourists failed to counter the spin through their sweeps and reverse sweeps.
Captain Ben Stokes, who returned to lead the side after recovering from a torn hamstring, top-scored with 37 before falling in a bizarre fashion. Stokes charged down the wicket to Ali, but the bat flew out of England captain’s hand to backward square leg and he was stumped.
Brydon Carse smashed three sixes against Khan and scored 27 before he edged Ali in the slips as England couldn’t counter the spinners on a wicket which had plenty of cracks and turn.
“We felt we were still in the game and came to chase that down,” Stokes said. “When Pakistan were ahead of the game they could really put their foot down. Tough ask for us, but the way we took the game on today was the only way we could win.”
England had its moments on a difficult wicket before succumbing to Pakistan spinners for 291 runs in the first innings. Ben Duckett scored a century but the middle-order crumbled against Khan and England conceded a vital 75-run lead.
In Pakistan’s second innings, wicketkeeper Jamie Smith and Joe Root dropped Salman Ali Agha in space of three balls before the all-rounder scored a crucial 63 and increased Pakistan’s lead to 296 runs.
“Ben Duckett’s first-innings hundred showed us the way,” Stokes said. “I don’t like to live by hindsight ... no-one means to drop catches, but you don’t get them often behind the wicket (in these conditions).”
England won the first test by an innings and 47 runs last week after posting a record-breaking 823-7 declared. The series-deciding third test begins at Rawalpindi from next Thursday.
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Pakistan's Noman Ali, second left, and teammates celebrates after winning the second test cricket match against England, in Multan, Pakistan, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Pakistan's Noman Ali, right, and teammates celebrates after winning the second test cricket match against England, in Multan, Pakistan, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Pakistan's Shan Masood, fourth left, and teammates celebrates after winning the second test cricket match against England, in Multan, Pakistan, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Pakistan's Noman Ali, center, and teammates celebrates after winning the second test cricket match against England, in Multan, Pakistan, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Pakistan's Kamran Ghulam, center, shakes hand with England's Shoaib Bashir, fifth right, as his teammate celebrate after winning the second test cricket match against England, in Multan, Pakistan, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Pakistan's Noman Ali, right, chats with Mohammad Rizwan as they walk off the field after winning the second test cricket match against England, in Multan, Pakistan, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Pakistan's Noman Ali, left, shakes hand with England's Matthew Potts, center, after winning the second test cricket match against England, in Multan, Pakistan, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Pakistan's Noman Ali, right, celebrates after taking the wicket of England's Joe Root, second right, during the fourth day of the second test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Multan, Pakistan, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Pakistan's Noman Ali appeals for LBW out of England's Joe Root during the fourth day of the second test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Multan, Pakistan, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Pakistan's Noman Ali, second right, celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of England's Joe Root, second right, during the fourth day of the second test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Multan, Pakistan, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Pakistan's Sajid Khan celebrates after taking the wicket of England's Ollie Pope during the fourth day of the second test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Multan, Pakistan, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
