Aidan O'Connell's Availability in Question as Purdue Prepares for No. 21 Minnesota
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue football managed to scrape by in a narrow 28-26 win over Florida Atlantic last week despite six starters being out due to injury, most notably sixth-year senior quarterback Aidan O'Connell.
The status for the star signal-caller is still up in the air as the team begins preparation for its upcoming road matchup with No. 21 Minnesota on Saturday in Minneapolis.
"Aidan, we'll see later on in the week where that's at," Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm said during a press conference on Monday.
Without O'Connell in the lineup, sixth-year senior quarterback Austin Burton got the nod and made his second career start under center. The Boilermakers threw for just 166 yards, the lowest output since totaling 136 yards through the air in a 24-6 loss to the Illinois Fighting Illini on Oct. 26, 2019.
Burton completed 21 of his 29 passes and had three scoring throws against the Owls while also recording one interception. O'Connell was a game-time decision entering the game after suffering an undisclosed injury during the first quarter of Purdue's road loss to Syracuse.
O'Connell played through the injury and managed to complete 39 of his 56 total passes for a season-high 424 yards while adding three touchdowns and an interception.
"I don't want to disclose what his injury is for his safety. A lot of times when you get injured during the game, you've got adrenaline and then you're able to play through it, Brohm said. "It's not until later on do you feel sore and then you get things checked and you diagnose what it is and you have to adapt.
"I think that probably is more common than you think unless it's extremely, extremely severe that you can't play with it. I just think he's tough and he wanted to finish, and he did a really good job in the Syracuse game."
If O'Connell is unable to go for the second straight week, Burton will remain the starter against the Golden Gophers. Brohm also said he would look to get redshirt sophomore quarterback Michael Alaimo on the field as well.
Alaimo entered the game against Florida Atlantic for the team's first drive of the second quarter. In three plays, he completed one of his two passes for no gain and scrambled for a seven-yard pickup on the ground before Purdue was forced to Punt.
"I think that Michael has done a really good job. He's got multiple years here and we want to continue to develop him," Brohm said. "Really, two out of the three plays he did well. Just made a bad read on the first play. It was limited possessions, so you've got to take advantage of it.
"Austin has had a little more experience and has played, so it'll probably be something similar where Austin will start and we'll try to get Michael Alaimo in the game as well. But both those guys worked hard last week and we've got to try to utilize them as well as we can."
O'Connell is just one of several impactful players whose availability is in question entering Week 5. The Boilermakers have been without their top defender in senior Jalen Graham, a linebacker and safety hybrid who has missed the last three games due to injury.
Brohm said the team will have to confirm Graham's status later in the week, alongside senior running back King Doerue and redshirt senior cornerback Reese Taylor. Both players also missed last week's game against Florida Atlantic with injuries.
Purdue was without senior wide receiver Broc Thompson and redshirt junior offensive lineman Cam Craig as well, and Brohm said both are doubtful to play against Minnesota this week.
Several players will be tasked with filling the void in the event that any of the team's starters are unable to suit up. It's no secret that the Boilermakers have been ravaged by injuries throughout the 2022 season.
Purdue lost redshirt junior tight end Garrett Miller and junior defensive lineman Damarjhe Lewis for the season due to injuries during fall camp. Both were poised to play big roles at their respective positions.
"Building depth is important," Brohm said. "Gaining the trust of your players to be put out there is important. There's a lot of things we've got to work on there."
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.