Ryan Walters on Worst Loss in Purdue Football History: 'We Have to Own It'
Facing your critics after a 66-7 loss isn't the easiest thing to do. But after an embarrassing performance against Notre Dame last weekend, Purdue coach Ryan Walters and the Boilermakers aren't running and hiding.
The 59-point defeat was the ugliest the program has ever seen. It's made worse by the fact that it was at the hands of in-state rival Notre Dame — a team upset by Northern Illinois 16-14 just a week earlier.
During Walters' weekly press conference on Monday, there wasn't much discussion about the upcoming game against Oregon State, other than the fact that Purdue is ready to get the bitter taste of defeat out of its mouth.
Instead, most of the questions Walters fielded surrounded the performance at Ross-Ade Stadium last weekend. Walters said he's already had a lot of discussions about the effort against the Fighting Irish.
"We had a very candid conversation about it. The fact, right now, is that we are a 1-1 football team that has lost to a ranked, nonconference opponent," Walters said. "But the fact, also, is that we lost 66-7 and we have to own the worst loss in program history. That falls on my shoulders."
Through two games, Purdue has already experienced the highest of highs and lowest of lows. The Boilermakers played stellar football against Indiana State in the opener, winning 49-0. After that performance, there was some hope that an upset of the Irish was a possibility.
Obviously, that wasn't the case. The Boilers weren't even close to an upset — and looked like a completely different team from that Week 1 win over the Sycamores.
But Walters still sees a good football team in the locker room. He's convinced that what fans saw against Indiana State is a version of Purdue that still exists.
"That first game, we executed at a high level. I don't care who you play against, we executed well, played tough and physical, tackled well ... and we were excited and energized to play. (Against Notre Dame), it was the opposite," he said.
"I told the team, you are both teams. It is our decision on which team we want to be moving forward."
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