'A Tale of Two Stories': Purdue Defense Struggles in Second Scrimmage of Fall Camp
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue football program had its second and final team scrimmage of fall camp Saturday. Coach Jeff Brohm opened by saying it was an interesting day, one that was opposite of last week.
Brohm said the offense was much better this week after the defense was crowned the winners of last week's scrimmage. There's still no hint at who will start under center on Sept. 4 against Oregon State, and the team is getting previously injured players back into the lineup to bolster its depth.
After being put through more game-like situations, which included coaches calling plays from the box, here's what Brohm had to say about his team before it returns to a normal practice schedule with classes starting on Monday.
Defense Couldn't Repeat Last Week's Performance
After an impressive showing in last week's scrimmage, the Boilermaker defense took a back seat to the offensive unit Saturday.
"It's almost a tale of two stories. So, today, the defense was not good. Offense was very productive, which is alarming and yet good," Brohm said. "I think it just shows our team if everyone doesn't come ready to play, and not all 11 guys are on the same page playing their tail off, we can be in for a long week. Our guys just need to understand that. That's football.
"While the defense has practiced well and had a great scrimmage last week, this was not a good day. So we've got to learn from it, we got to make sure that we try not to allow it to happen again, and we've got to push forward."
In the passing game, the Purdue quarterbacks managed to make big plays down the field. Brohm said the defense suffered from a few "mental busts" that will be looked at on film.
He said the coaches and players have to realize what went wrong, and they have to improve.
"We actually threw the ball very well today," said Brohm. "And then we had way too many plays up the field. Quarterbacks, receivers stood out and did a good job. It was a productive day for them, but not the defense."
Starting Quarterback Still a Mystery
The Boilermakers are still rotating between fifth-year senior Aidan O'Connell, senior Austin Burton and junior Jack Plummer. Brohm has not hint who has taken a lead in the quarterback battle, if anyone, but he said that redshirt freshman Michael Alaimo was unavailable due to a toe issue.
All Brohm indicated was that the three passers had a productive day, especially with the defense playing as poorly as it did.
As of now, there's no timetable for when the starting quarterback will be announced, and Brohm said he is open to playing multiple signal-callers on game days if he believes it gives the team the best chance to win.
"We'll always be open to that," he said. "I think all these guys can do some different things. They all understand the offense now. While we could play one, we could play multiple. So, we'll just kind of see how that goes.
"Every game, we will determine if we have a small package here and there for someone else. Like everything, they're all competitive, and they've done a good job. We feel confident if they have to go in the game — which can be a problem, but it's a good problem to have for us as a team to have capable quarterbacks that have improved every week that we feel can help us win."
Fall Camp Reflects Highs and Lows for the Upcoming Season
With fall camp officially coming to an end and classes starting next week, Brohm said the players and coaching staff can look at these practices as an indicator of what the 2021 season may have in store.
Every repetition in the preseason practices has helped prepare Purdue for the season opener against Oregon State on Sept. 4 at Ross-Ade Stadium.
"I think it was a great camp and really, we're going to move on to getting ready for the next opponent and getting guys fully healthy," Brohm said. "It really gave a tale of what the season's going to be about. I told them, there's gonna be highs and lows. As good as the defense played last week, they were really bad today.
"You've got to be able to handle that. You've got to be able to handle people saying things that you don't like because the play wasn't up to par. You've got to learn from it and put it aside and have a short memory and come out here and work and prove that you can get it done the next week."
Injury Updates
Senior DeMarcus Mitchell, who's projected to be a starter for Purdue at the LEO position (a defensive end/linebacker hybrid), has missed time during fall camp due to health issues.
Brohm said he has returned to practice.
“We're easing him into some things but yes, he was back and then we’ve got to continue to push that forward,” he said.
Also, the secondary will have more depth moving forward with the return of sophomore safety Marvin Grant and junior Jemari Brown — a Kentucky transfer. Grant suffered a leg injury during the first week of camp.
“He's got to be a productive player for us,” Brohm said. "He's one, as well, that when he knows what to do, he can be very effective. But, he's got to just make sure that we're sound and he's the quarterback of the back-end and that he fully understands the package and how to execute it."
The team is working toward having as many available bodies as possible to help contribute during the first week of the season. While Purdue may not have everyone back and at full health, it's important to close out the preseason practices with minimal issues.
Brohm said 100% is unlikely, but the Boilermakers are aiming to have 90% to 95% of its roster ready to play.
"There might be a few that can't make it back," Brohm said. "But, that's every year. We've got to deal with it."
Purdue opens the season on Saturday, Sept. 4 against Oregon State at Ross-Ade Stadium. The game starts at 7 p.m. ET, and will be televised on FOX Sports 1. As of Tuesday morning, Purdue is a 7.5-point favorite according to sports gambling website Fanduel.com. The over/under is 65.5 points.
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