Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne’s confidence ‘very easy to see’ 1 year later for Cannon rival coach

WEST LAFAYETTE — In retrospect, Ryan Browne looked more poised and polished in his first Purdue football start than he actually was. 

Browne took the ball Oct. 12 at Illinois while starting quarterback Hudson Card sat out in concussion protocol. Browne produced over 400 yards with his arm and legs and brought the Boilermakers back from a three-touchdown deficit in the second half. 

Browne caught the Big Ten’s attention with that performance. Now established as the clear starter, a more experienced — and more cerebral — quarterback faces the Illini again on Saturday. 

“Last year I was kind of just snapping the ball and figuring it out — just playing backyard football,” Browne said. “I’ve come a long way with the mental part of the game. You can always grow there, so obviously still working on that.”

Browne snuck up on the Illini a bit last season. His starting status was not widely known until late in the week. His only previous game experience came in 53 relief snaps against Northwestern the year prior. He benefited from the unpredictability of coach Ryan Walters, a defensive coach by trade, calling the offense for the first time against a team whose defensive personnel he knew well as their former coordinator. 

Saturday’s game for the Purdue Cannon represents a third straight next-level challenge for the still-developing quarterback. After facing USC’s athletes and the Notre Dame Stadium mystique, Browne now faces the opponent with the most tangible proof of his talents.

“It’s very easy to see that’s the way he plays,” Illinois coach Bret Bielema said of Browne’s confidence. “This year you can see it come out during moments of success but also moments of adversity.”

Browne said his biggest development as a quarterback is best measured by what happens before the snap. With game experience, he’s better able to recognize what a defense will give him and make an in-the-moment plan for what he’ll need to do after the snap.

His five interceptions are tied for second most among Big Ten quarterbacks. However, he’s made big jumps over last season’s full-team quarterback performance in important stats like yards per attempt (8.5 to 6.7) and pass efficiency rating (142.48 to 121.37).

Bielema said he sees the same playmaking ability he saw last season, only with more improv ability honed by experience. Further game reps will continue to smooth out some of the rougher decision-making edges. 

That progress showed up in a six-play, 75-yard touchdown drive late in the first half in direct response to the Fighting Irish’s potentially deflating kickoff return touchdown.

“Guys that doubt themselves, are not really competitive, they don’t thrive in environments like he did,” Purdue offensive coordinator Josh Henson said. “I thought he thrived in that environment (at Notre Dame).

“I think he’s played really well. I think he can play better — and Ryan will tell you that too. Part of the ‘play better’ thing is just little details of eyes and maybe getting off of a read when it’s looking a little cloudy and move on. Sometimes a great play is taking a 5-yard hitch.” 

Browne ranks 14th among Big Ten quarterbacks in completion percentage at 63.1%. Yet in PFF’s adjusted percentage, which factors in the 10 drops attributed to Purdue receivers through four games, he ranks fifth at 78.4%. He’s also fifth in average depth of target at 9.6 yards.

Purdue uses Browne to push the ball vertically in the air, yet also remains cognizant of utilizing his athleticism in other ways. That’s why he’s been the player chosen for the resolution of trick plays each of the past two weeks.

All of the starting quarterback options in preseason camp had such little experience that any evaluation had to take their upside heavily into account. Four games in, the coaches are convinced their chose remains on an upward trajectory.

“I’m sure glad he’s our quarterback, because I think he’s a special player, and he’s gotten better every week,” Purdue coach Barry Odom said.

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne confidence, growth between Illinois starts