WEST LAFAYETTE — David Blough seemed stunned.
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The sophomore quarterback and his Purdue teammates have wanted to show this group was different from previous ones, having made such statements.
After opening the season by defeating Eastern Kentucky, the Boilermakers were seeking their first back-to-back wins under fourth-year coach Darrell Hazell. They were seeking their first 2-0 record since they went 5-0 in 2007.
Instead, with Saturday’s 38-20 loss to Cincinnati at Ross-Ade Stadium, they resembled last season’s version, if not the previous three seasons.
They had their rushing defense gouged, couldn’t get stops on third down, and committed turnovers.
Blough was asked what the Boilermakers (1-1) showed against the Bearcats (2-0).
“A team down 31-7 that had a fight in them,” he said. “We struggled a little bit offensively. Having that killer instinct that we need to find, and a lot of that reflects on the quarterback position.”
Blough threw for a career-high 401 yards and two touchdowns, completing 32 of 57 passes. But he also threw five interceptions, including three picked off by Mike Tyson.
One interception essentially served as a punt. Two were on tipped passes, the second extinguishing any hopes for a comeback when the Boilermakers trailed 31-20 with five minutes left. Two were in the end zone, the second in the final minute when the outcome had been decided.
But the first was particularly costly. Down 21-7, the Boilermakers had first down at the Cincinnati 19 in the final two minutes of the half when Blough made the ill-advised pass.
“It wasn’t a good ball,” Blough said. “I had my guy, it didn’t come out of my hand as well as I wanted it to. I should’ve thrown it away — hindsight’s 20-20.”
The Boilermakers’ loss was by no means exclusively on Blough.
The Bearcats rushed for 262 yards, after Purdue allowed a Big Ten-worst 214.9 last season. The Bearcats also passed for an additional 250 yards.
Cincinnati went 13-for-21 on third down, converting 12 straight during one stretch into the middle of the third quarter.
Linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley searched for answers.
“Tackling, making plays on the ball, recognizing that it’s third down and we have to get off the field,” he said.
The Boilermakers’ special teams missed an opportunity, too, as freshman J.D. Dellinger was wide right on a 28-yard field goal when they trailed 7-0 late in the first quarter.
Wide receivers Domonique Young and DeAngelo Yancey each surpassed 100 yards and had a TD. Young had eight catches for 136 yards and Yancey added seven for 113.
But standout sophomore running back Markell Jones left the game in the third quarter with a left shoulder injury, exiting with 47 yards on 15 carries.
Hazell said Jones might have suffered a sprain after it initially was thought he had a stinger when he got hurt late in the first half.
Right guard Jordan Roos wasn’t making excuses.
“We have to run the ball better and it starts up front with us five,” he said. “We have to protect as long as we need to.
“We’re going to take a hard look in the mirror and evaluate what we need to do to get better. This is not the end of this team.”
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The Boilermakers have a bye next week before a Sept. 24 home game against Nevada. Hazell expected to resume practice Wednesday.
“We lost one game, right?” he said. “That’s not a season. We’ll go back to work. We’re certainly not going to act like Chicken Little and act like the sky is falling.”
Twitter @MichaelOsipoff