Barry Odom's 2-0 start is the best by a first-year Purdue coach since Cleo O'Donnell in 1916. Seriously!

Wins over Ball State and Southern Illinois are a little stronger than O'Donnell's wins over DePauw and Wabash.

.WEST LAFAYETTE — With Purdue football's 34-17 victory over Southern Illinois on Saturday night, coach Barry Odom joined an exclusive list.

Coupled with a season-opening 31-0 victory over Ball State, Odom opened his Boilermaker coaching tenure 2-0. Sounds like a low bar to clear, right?

Cleo O'Donnell would tell you differently, except he's been dead for 72 years. He was the last coach to open 2-0, beating DePauw and Wabash to open the 1916 season. You couldn't watch those games on TV, or listen to them on the radio. The modern zipper, pop-up toaster and self-windin

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