How Purdue football spent bye week in practice, film study after losses

Purdue spent its bye week looking at areas to fix after a 33-17 loss to USC and 56-30 at Notre Dame.

The Boilermakers allowed 32 plays of 10 or more yards in those two losses, and the rushing attack averaged 2.3 yards per carry.

Up next: Illinois at Purdue, noon Saturday

WEST LAFAYETTE — There was not a Purdue football game last week, but the Boilermakers still had an opponent.

Themselves.

Consecutive losses to USC and Notre Dame exposed areas of concern in all three facets.

While an idle week allowed more preparation for Illinois , it also provided ample time for a dose of reality regarding the past two games.

"It's never fun. No one ever wants to sit there and evaluate something and say OK, where are all the problems," Purdue defensive coordinator Mike Scherer said. "You'v