Purdue capped off year one of the Ryan Walters era on a high note, securing a win over in-state rival Indiana in the 98th iteration of the annual Old Oaken Bucket game on Saturday afternoon. The Boilermakers used a ten-point comeback to sneak out of Ross-Ade Stadium with a 35-31 victory, and its fourth win of the year.
Boiler Upload provides four key takeaways from Purdue's season finale win:
Taking momentum into the off-season:
In what has largely been an unfulfilling season in West Lafayette, Purdue was able to right the ship and carry some momentum into the first full off-season under head coach Ryan Walters and staff.
A loss to Indiana would have potentially sent the Purdue fanbase into a frenzy after a frustrating year, but the Boilermakers came out on top of the annual in-state rivalry game which makes that scenario a moot point.
After going into week 11 at the bottom of the Big Ten at 2-7 and out of bowl contention, the Boilermakers didn't let a disappointing season deter them from finishing strong. Purdue finished the season by winning two of its last three games, with victories over Minnesota and Indiana in the confines of Ross-Ade Stadium.
The message from Ryan Walters down the stretch was one of not conceding despite what the win-loss record said about his group. Purdue lived up to the words of its head coach in the final few weeks of the season and while it wasn't always pretty, did what it had to do to come out with a pair of wins.
"This is just the beginning. You know, I'm gonna put my head down, go to work. We'll take a little break, you know, after signing day, but hopefully this is the last time I'm sitting home at the holidays while I'm here as the head coach at Purdue," Ryan Walters said after the victory.
While the win was a good way to end the season and potentially set themselves up for future success, the Boilermakers are still a far cry from where they want to be down the line.
"You celebrate the last win, send the seniors out on the right note, but from a program standpoint you know, we gotta ways to go," Walters said.
