At 1-7 so far this season, Purdue aren’t going anywhere in the Big Ten, and their only win this season has come against an FCS team. The worst part of the 2013 season so far? Their offense,which hasn’t been able to run a play in the red zone for over a month.
Yes, Purdue haven’t run a play in the red zone since September 28, when they played against Northern Illinois, losing 55-24. Their only win this season has come against Indiana State, an FCS team, and even then they won only by six points, making it quite a terrible debut season for head coach Darrell Hazell, arriving after a strong year at Kent State.
The man he replaced, Danny Hope, led the team to two consecutive bowl games, and suddenly him being fired doesn’t look like the best of decisions, although Purdue simply losing too many starters between the seasons was more than the school could handle.
They’re on a six-game losing streak, as their offense has gotten worse and worse. After putting up 58 points in three games against Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Northern Illinois, it’s been quite dreadful these last three weeks, losing to Nebraska, Ohio State and Michigan State. They did score 7 points against the Cornhuskers, but have been shut out on their last two games, losing 56-0 at home to Ohio State, their worst loss since 1974.
They are ranked 120th in I-FBS out of 123 teams and have been outscored 297-92, with only 10 offensive touchdowns in 8 games. The remaining schedule isn’t a tough one – Indiana, Illinois, Penn State and Iowa, but things aren’t looking good for a team that has taken quite a tumble after being projected to fight for the division title before 2012, but has been unable to find itself in close game with a conference rival for almost two months.