Reviewing the 2017 Purdue Boilermakers

There’s a reason why the Boilermakers are favored to beat the Huskers again.

Purdue is one of the biggest surprises in the Big Ten this season. The Boilermakers kept Louisville and Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson on their heels most of the way in a 35-28 loss, and two weeks ago, battled Wisconsin 17-9 in Camp Randall. In September, Purdue dominated Frank Solich’s Ohio squad 44-21 and hapless Mizzou 35-3, though they did get blown out in the second half in a 28-10 loss to Michigan.

But last week, the Boilermakers did the most Purdue thing they could do: lost 14-12 to Rutgers. Purdue outgained 474 yards to just 217, with 74 of that coming on Rutgers’ second play of the game. Two turnovers and an inability to sustain drives until the closing minute doomed Purdue in this game. Still, new head coach Jeff Brohm is showing that it’s possible to show significant progress in your first “year one”.

Inconsistent quarterback play has been a major stumbling point for the Purdue offense. A shoulder injury in August sidelined presumed starter David Blough for much of preseason practice, giving Elijah Sindelar the chance to start against Louisville and Ohio. Both quarterbacks have rotated throughout the season, with Blough taking over the starting spot for the next three games until he threw a pair of interceptions against Minnesota. Sindelar started the last two games, but if you read the tea leaves, you might suspect that Blough will be the first quarterback in the game this weekend. Sindelar threw two interceptions against Rutgers, while Blough engineered a comeback drive late in the game. For the season, Blough has completed 67% of his 105 passes for 745 yards and eight touchdowns with four interceptions. Sindelar has completed 53% of his 148 attempts for 907 yards and six touchdowns with five interceptions. Blough has gained 54 yards on the ground this season, while Sindelar has lost seven yards net this season.