Aidan O'Connell Stays Patient as Purdue Rallies From Offensive Struggles Against Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS — Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said that starting quarterback Aidan O'Connell didn't practice until Thursday ahead of a critical road matchup with No. 21 Minnesota.
"I think he felt like he could probably go then," Brohm said. "But we wanted to continue to see how he was Friday and even [Saturday]. We got the other quarterbacks ready to go, and they had a pretty good week of practice.
"We were ready to use them if we had to, but I think Aidan thought he could do it. He's a team player, he's willing to sacrifice and I think our team rallied around him."
After sustaining an injury during the first quarter of a 32-29 loss to Syracuse in the third week of the season, the sixth-year senior did not suit up last Saturday in the team's homecoming win against Florida Atlantic.
O'Connell was a game-time decision for the Boilermakers, who hadn't defeated the Golden Gophers since the 2017 season.
"It was obviously frustrating, you never want to be on the sideline so it was hard to watch in practice and in the game last week," O'Connell said. "I think it made me realize I do love my teammates, I love to watch them play. I feel like a coach sometimes in that aspect."
He made it back under center on Saturday inside Huntington Bank Stadium, and despite completing just 27 of his 40 passes for 199 yards with two interceptions, he stayed poised to help Purdue defeat Minnesota 20-10.
No matter the performance, O'Connell is an unquestioned leader on the team, and he credited his teammates for helping to break through what was largely a frustrating afternoon on offense.
"Today, I didn't play very well, and they continue to support me and pick me up," O'Connell said.
It was the first time since the team's 27-13 loss to Notre Dame on the road a year ago that O'Connell didn't register a passing touchdown. He only recorded 18 passes in that game after replacing Jack Plummer.
The Golden Gophers were dead set on preventing the Boilermakers from making deep plays down the field. The team's longest completion of the game was a 28-yard pass to sixth-year senior wide receiver Charlie Jones in the fourth quarter, which would lead to a field goal and a 13-10 lead with 4:57 left to play.
Minnesota took advantage of O'Connell's desire to make pinpoint, anticipatory throws in a low-scoring game, which resulted in two easy takeaways in the first half.
"It just required me to be patient, to take what was in front of me," O'Connell said. "And I think we did a good job of that as we got going in the second half. It's hard sometimes, we want to open it up, but you have to take it one play at a time."
O'Connell completed passes to nine different receivers in the victory, but with just 37 total yards in the third quarter, it was the Purdue defense that prevented the game from getting out of hand. Despite three turnovers by Purdue, which all came in the second quarter, Minnesota managed just three points in the first half.
The only scoring drives for the Boilermakers were in the first and fourth quarters, but a steady dose of the running game and the aforementioned defensive performance allowed the team to break through periods in which Brohm said the offense had gone stale.
In the second half, O'Connell mitigated his mistakes and completed 14 of his 19 passes to help the offense average 6.8 yards per play in the final two quarters. Purdue scored on all three of its red zone possessions, and it was enough to earn its first victory of the season in Big Ten Play.
As he continues to recover from his previous injury, O'Connell will begin to look like his usual self and should be good to go for the team's road game against Maryland next Saturday.
"When you have guys that suck it up for the team and just do the best they can, I just think it improves the morale," Brohm said. "And the more guys we get that are just willing to lay it on the line, the better football team you're going to have."
Stories Related to Purdue Football
- Purdue Pulls Away Late, Takes Down No. 21 Minnesota on the Road: Despite three turnovers, Purdue capitalized on a stellar defensive performance to take down Minnesota in Minneapolis. The Boilermakers gave up just 47 yards on the ground to the Big Ten's top rushing offense. CLICK HERE
- Purdue, Minnesota Live Blog: Purdue football jumped back into Big Ten play with a 20-10 road win against No. 21 Minnesota on Saturday inside Huntington Bank Stadium. CLICK HERE
- Photo Gallery: Purdue football defeated No. 21 Minnesota on the road Saturday first Big Ten win of the season. The team now sits at 3-2 after the victory inside Huntington Bank Stadium. CLICK HERE
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.