Outpoll | Why hasn't Purdue football scored more points? Red zone offense operates in the red

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Why hasn't Purdue football scored more points? Red zone offense operates in the red

Why hasn't Purdue football scored more points? Red zone offense operates in the red

2 days ago7 min read5 comments

The Purdue Boilermakers' offensive struggles present a paradox that would baffle even the most seasoned football analysts, with their red zone inefficiency standing as the primary culprit behind their stagnant win column despite measurable improvements elsewhere on the field. Offensive coordinator Josh Henson’s lament that 'We’re so close but so far away' perfectly encapsulates a team that moves the ball effectively between the 20s—averaging four red zone trips per game against FBS opponents, right at the Big Ten average—only to see their drives disintegrate in the most critical area of the field.The statistics are stark and damning: a conference-worst 40% red zone touchdown rate, tied with Northwestern, and a catastrophic 30% failure rate to score at all from these premium positions. Delving into the play-by-play data against FBS competition reveals the systemic breakdown; nearly a quarter of their 57 red zone snaps have resulted in negative outcomes—sacks, penalties, turnovers, or lost yardage—creating a quagmire of self-inflicted wounds.The passing game inside the 20 has been particularly anemic, with more interceptions (four) than touchdown passes (three) on 18 attempts, while a ground attack averaging a paltry 2. 76 yards per carry, led by Devin Mockobee’s 11 attempts for just 20 yards, has forced a backfield committee approach that has yet to yield consistency.This statistical nightmare has prompted Henson to deviate from conventional offensive structures, frequently deploying a 'Hippo' package with a sixth lineman and direct snaps, alongside high-risk 'deceptive' plays that have yielded both a memorable touchdown pass from Mockobee against Notre Dame and a crushing end-zone interception in the seven-point loss to Minnesota. While Henson and head coach Barry Odom defend their aggressive, game-plan-specific philosophy—'We’re going to be aggressive in what we do.We’re not going to be passive'—the sheer volume of fundamental execution errors on straightforward plays makes these trick plays feel less like inspired gambles and more like necessary Hail Marys in a offense searching for an identity. The solution lies not in more gadget plays but in the brutal simplicity of execution, a point Henson himself conceded after the Minnesota loss, noting a critical failed run with 'even numbers' and 'everything there for the taking' that epitomizes the small, correctable mistakes costing them precious points. In the analytics-driven world of modern football, Purdue’s red zone offense is a glaring outlier, a unit operating in the red both on the scoreboard and in the efficiency metrics, and until they can translate their between-the-20s competence into end-zone production, their bowl aspirations and overall progress will remain frustratingly out of reach, a team perpetually on the cusp but never crossing the final, most important threshold.