Purdue head coach Barry Odom took the podium to discuss his team’s mentality coming out of the bye week. The Boilermakers travel to Penn State on Saturday, but several other storylines surrounding the program remain worth watching.
Here are the key quotes and takeaways from Odom’s Week 9 press conference.
Meaningful November games
One of the biggest takeaways from Odom’s appearance at Big Ten Media Days was his emphasis on playing meaningful games in November. Purdue enters the final stretch of the regular season at 3-4, with opportunities to build momentum against a challenging schedule.
The Boilermakers open the stretch against Penn State on Halloween before taking on Maryland, Iowa, Wisconsin and Indiana in November.
Odom said playing meaningful games late in the season was one of his goals when he took the Purdue job.
“One, the opportunity to play meaningful games in the month of November, which is something we set out to do when we got the job,” Odom said. “Every single one of them, if you look at the Big Ten schedule this last weekend, I mean, every single game is a season within itself, really.”
The Big Ten schedule offers plenty of significant matchups each week, and that will continue Saturday against the Nittany Lions. Purdue has shown signs of improvement this season, but the Boilermakers need to turn that progress into wins to make their November schedule even more meaningful.
Growth of Tra’Mar Harris
One of the biggest surprises for Purdue this fall has been the emergence of wide receiver Tra’Mar Harris. The sophomore has established himself as one of Ryan Browne’s top targets, recording 11 receptions for 150 yards and two touchdowns this season.
His development over the past year has stood out to Odom, who praised the work Harris has put in to reach this point.
“I’m so proud of him. Tra’Mar’s done a great job, and there’s times that it would have been easy for him to walk away,” Odom said. “I think it is a product, if you’ll continue to pour in the right way, results will eventually happen, and they are for him.”
Harris has two more years of eligibility remaining after this season, giving Purdue an opportunity to build on his progress. His emergence provides the Boilermakers with another potential playmaker in the passing game as the program looks to develop its offense for the future.
Notre Dame series in question?
Purdue’s future schedule has become a topic of discussion amid the reported expansion of the College Football Playoff to 24 teams. With the possibility of changes to the Big Ten schedule and nonconference requirements, questions remain about the future of the Boilermakers’ annual matchup with Notre Dame.
Odom said he did not have a definitive answer about the series but outlined his understanding of the scheduling requirements if the proposed playoff expansion moves forward.
“I don’t talk with anyone at South Bend. I’ve got a lot of respect for Marcus Freeman, I hope they have great success, but I know if the vote goes through with the expanded playoffs, I know we’ll play nine conference games. Three nonconference, and one of those has to be a Power opponent,” Odom said.
“That would be my knowledge at this point. And then we’ve got to have a great Tuesday practice to go try to beat Penn State.”
From Purdue’s perspective, reconsidering the Notre Dame series could be worth exploring as the program navigates a changing college football landscape. However, the long-term scheduling picture remains uncertain, and Odom made it clear that his immediate focus is on the team in front of him.
For now, the priority is getting Purdue back in the win column. The Boilermakers have an opportunity to make a statement against Penn State on Saturday as they begin the final stretch of the regular season.
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