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Purdue Football’s Ryan Walters enjoyed his offensive debut

Purdue Football’s Ryan Walters enjoyed his offensive debut

WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue football coach Ryan Walters made the boldest decision of his tenure in the middle of the night last week.

Walters said the decision to initiate the offense itself against Illinois came “around 2:30 Thursday morning.” However, he had not suddenly been struck by an epiphany.

A defensive coordinator by trade before becoming the Boilermakers’ coach, Walters wanted to hone his knowledge of offensive terminology and procedures. By mid-week he was convinced he was making a positive difference.

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Walters said he will continue to call the offense a felony in the future. Interim offensive coordinator Jason Simmons will continue to oversee daily practice scripts and provide insight into the game from the dugout.

“I spent the week of the Wisconsin game learning vocabulary and the rules of the offense,” Walters said. “I didn’t feel comfortable calling it that play just because I wasn’t able to spit out plays fast enough. We got to midweek last week and I felt like I had the vocabulary down enough to know what play I wanted to get.”

Walters played safety at Colorado and began his coaching career by managing positions in the secondary. He served as defensive coordinator at Missouri and Illinois.

Until last Saturday, he had never served as the offensive position coach, nor had he announced an offense. It’s hard to argue with these results. What was statistically one of the worst offenses in the country produced 536 yards and five touchdowns on the road against a top-25 opponent.

Walters had called up Purdue’s defense until the Wisconsin game, then turned those duties back over to defensive coordinator Kevin Kane. He said the change required an intellectual shift in football.

“On defense you have to kind of react and anticipate, and on offense you know what the play is going to be before the defense does,” Walters said. “There is a kind of chess game, and you try to present images and make moves that prepare other moves.”

Purdue opened the playbook while bringing in quarterback Ryan Browne, who made his first career start in place of an injured Hudson Card. Examples of this included increased use of double-stack receiver formations, phasing out the flexbone with tight ends as wingbacks, and a reverse-flea flicker that resulted in a big gain.

The offense also worked as Browne kept the ball himself on additional zone read calls, establishing a rhythm and later setting up some of those other successful plays.

“It was fun because the kids were fun,” Walters said. “And of course it’s fun when they have success and you see some things work that you thought would work because the guys are having fun.”

Next up: No. 2 Oregon, which boasts a top-25 pass defense in opposing quarterback efficiency and yards allowed per attempt, ranking third in the Big Ten with 2.83 yards per game.

(This story has been updated because an earlier version contained an inaccuracy)

Follow IndyStar Purdue Insider Nathan Baird on X at @nwbaird.