'Anybody Can Beat Anybody': Jeff Brohm, Purdue Football Won't Underestimate UConn
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Despite UConn's struggles this season, Purdue coach Jeff Brohm knows it won't be a walk in the park when his team travels to Hartford, Connecticut on Saturday.
The Huskies are 0-2 so far this season, their previous head coach — Randy Edsall — stepped down and the team will have a new starting quarterback under center this weekend. But the Boilermakers are still preparing as hard as they would for any opponent.
"The ball hasn't rolled their way, and sometimes that's due to execution, sometimes that's due to a little luck," Brohm said of UConn. "But you know what, any week, anything can happen. I know they're going to come ready to play. It's a home game for them. Every player in college football has pride, and they want to go out there and win."
Purdue opened its season with a 30-21 victory over Oregon State at Ross-Ade Stadium. If it weren't for two huge fourth-down stops by the Boiler defense, the game may have swung in the Beavers' direction.
Quarterback Jack Plummer threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes to tight end Payne Durham to secure the win. But Oregon State was hanging on until the final minutes of the game.
That can't happen against UConn, and there's plenty for Purdue to improve on to make sure it doesn't. The upcoming game against the Huskies serves to finetune the playbook and schemes for the rest of the 2021 season.
"We know that we have to get better as a football team in all three segments," Brohm said. "We've got to have a great week of preparation. We've got to stay locked in and we've got to execute. If you don't do that, you're going to get beat."
Purdue hasn't finished a season with a winning record since 2017, Brohm's first year as the program's head coach. Since then, the Boilermakers are 13-19, which includes last week's win.
"Every week, you know what, there's good football teams across the country," Brohm said. "It's about are you going to play well, are you going to prepare well, are you going to execute, are you going to stay focused. Anybody can beat anybody on a given day. I think our players understand that. We're definitely not at a stage to ever take anything for granted."
Last week, the team broke a four-game losing streak dating back to last season. For Purdue to get back on track and compete for a bowl game appearance come season's end, winning these games without too much issue is paramount.
The Boilermakers are looking to better themselves each and every week, no matter who lines up in front of them on Saturdays.
"If you want to be any good in football, you've got to challenge yourself to raise the bar and have your best performance each and every week, and if you're not doing that, it'll catch up with you and you won't have a good season," Brohm said. "So this is an important week for us, and we need to play some good football."
Purdue is scheduled to play UConn at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday at Pratt & Whitney Stadium. As of Wednesday, Purdue is a 34.5-point favorite, according to sports gambling website FanDuel.com. The over/under is 58.5 points.
Stories Related to Purdue Football
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- UCONN ANNOUNCES QB CHANGE: UConn defensive coordinator and interim head coach Lou Spanos named redshirt sophomore Steven Krajewski the team's starting quarterback against Purdue. He replaces sophomore Jack Zergiotis, who started the first two games of the season for the Huskies. CLICK HERE
- JEFF BROHM REACTS TO RANDY EDSALL'S RETIREMENT: UConn and coach Randy Edsall mutually agreed to for Edsall to step down immediately, instead of at the end of the 2021 season. Purdue coach Jeff Brohm reacted to the decision ahead of the Boilermakers' matchup with the Huskies. CLICK HERE
- JEFF BROHM PRESS CONFERENCE VIDEO: Purdue football coach Jeff Brohm met with the local media Monday to discuss the team's upcoming matchup with UConn on Saturday. Here are the highlights from what he had to say, and what we should expect from the Huskies in Hartford, Connecticut. CLICK HERE
- PURDUE REPORT CARD AFTER OREGON STATE WIN: Purdue football started its 2021 season as a favorite against Oregon State on Saturday. Despite a close contest, the team executed in key moments, especially on the defensive side of the ball. A look at the Boilermakers' first report card of the year. CLICK HERE
- OREGON STATE GAME STORY: Junior tight end Payne Durham caught two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to help lift Purdue over Oregon State. Junior quarterback Jack Plummer threw for 313 yards in his first season-opening start. CLICK HERE
- OREGON STATE GAME STORY: The Purdue defense wreaked havoc on Oregon State in the first half of Saturday's game at Ross-Ade Stadium. Time and time again, it put the offense in a position to take control of a game that ended in a 30-21 victory. CLICK HERE
- PURDUE 2021 SCHEDULE: Purdue's 2021 college football schedule includes nine Big Ten games and three nonconference matchups. The team will travel to Hartford, Connecticut to take on UConn next week. CLICK HERE
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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.