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Here are 10 things you need to know about Purdue’s stupefying 34-31 loss at Nevada.

1. Elijah Sindelar was equal parts good and bad on this night. He looked like a world-beater in the opening half, throwing for 268 yards. That was the third-most he has thrown for in a game. But, he came back to earth in the second half, hitting 13-of-24 passes with two picks for 245 yards. His two second-half picks were costly. His second one set up Nevada for it’s game-winning field goal as time expired.

2. The pass rush showed some life from the line. But, in the end, the unit notched just one sack, and that came in the first half. Purdue rarely blitzed, relying on its line to get a push. On passing downs, Purdue would sub in ends Kai Higgins or Branson Deen for tackle Lawrence Johnson. Nevada quarterback Carson Strong worked largely unfettered from the pocket.

3. That brings us to the fact there were no big plays on defense. The unit played solid most of the night. But, there was a lack of big plays. The Boilermakers notched just one sack, and Nevada redshirt freshman signal-caller Carson Strong wasn't pressured much by a defense that rarely blitzed. In some ways, it was like watching young Rocky Lombardi of Michigan State lead the Spartans past Purdue in 2018. When Purdue really needed a play or a stop in the second-half, it rarely got it.

4. Turnovers. Purdue fumbled five times and lost three of them. Two lost fumbles occurred on punt returns. Rondale Moore inexplicably chased and tried to pick up a rolling punt in the third quarter. An ill-advised move. And Elijah Sindelar tossed two costly picks. Teams don’t often lose the turnover battle, 5-0, and win games. Purdue didn't.

5. You get the feeling senior tight end Brycen Hopkins is probably wide-open on every play. Time and again on this night, he was. And Elijah Sindelar found him. Hopkins made a nice contested TD grab for the first score of the game. He looks primed for a big season. He had six catches for 84 yards tonight.

6. The jury remains out on the offensive line. No one knew what to expect from the unit. Tonight was a mixed bag. There was much hand-wringing and consternation, as the unit worked in sophomore center Viktor Beach, senior left guard Alex Criddle and redshirt freshman right tackle Will Bramel. Purdue struggle to consistently run the ball vs. an inferior foe. And getting tough yards was an issue. Sound familiar? The problem was acute on the opening drive, when Purdue got stuffed two times inside the 2-yard line before Sindelar hit Hopkins for a TD. Purdue ran 29 times for 96 yards (3.3 npc) vs. a Mountain West foe. Not good.

7. Surprise! Danny Corollo was the pooch punter. It was a shock to see backup walk-on quarterback serve in this role. He did well. His first pooch was downed at the Nevada 1-yard line. His second just rolled into the end zone for a touchback. Nice job.

8. Rondale Moore was, well Rondale Moore. He flashed time and again, finishing with 11 catches for 124 yards and a TD. And he also showed his value as a decoy on Jackson Anthrop’s 38-yard TD catch late in the first half. No doubt, every Purdue player is going to benefit from the attention Moore’s gets from defenses.

9. The true freshmen made their presence felt. DE George Karlaftis led the way. He had half a sack, 1.5 TFLs and four tackles. David Bell made a 49-yard TD grab and Milton Wright had three catches for 21 yards. S Jalen Graham had four stops, while Marvin Grant saw action and Brooks Cormier averaged 46.3 yards on three punts. King Doerue twice. Not bad.

10. So, Jeff Brohm is now 0-3 in openers at Purdue. And each one has been worse the other: Louisville, Northwestern … now Nevada. Now, Purdue could be staring at an 0-3 start, just like last year, with Vanderbilt and TCU next. The staff has plenty to pick apart from this result. Next week isn’t going to be a lot of fun around the Purdue football office.

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