Report Card: Purdue shows improvement in win over Maryland
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue had its best performance of the season during Saturday’s 40-14 win over Maryland at Ross-Ade Stadium.
With the victory, Purdue moved to 2-4 on the season and 1-2 in the Big Ten. They travel to Iowa next weekend to take on the Hawkeyes. Kickoff is at Noon ET, and will be televised on ESPN2.
Here’s how the Boilermakers graded out in their first Big Ten win of the season:
Rushing Offense: B-minus
The Purdue running game, although better than it has been the majority of the season, still struggled on Saturday. Granted, the running game didn’t need to perform well with they way the rest of the offense played, but it was still an underwhelming effort.
Purdue rushed for 127 yards on the day, and was led by King Doerue’s 69 yards on 19 attempts. The one area where Purdue had success was on wide receiver runs by Jackson Anthrop. He carried the ball three times for 27 yards. His 9 yards per carry was a major increase from the team’s average on the day of 3.6 yards per carry.
Passing Offense: A
Purdue’s passing offense was nearly perfect against Maryland, and had its best performance since losing Elijah Sindelar. You couldn’t ask for much more out of starting quarterback Jack Plummer, who completed 33 of 41 passes. He had career highs in yards (420) and touchdowns (3).
Starting wideout David Bell had a big day as well with 138 yards and two touchdowns. After emphasizing the importance of the tight end position during the week, Purdue coach Jeff Brohm and the coaching staff made sure to get them involved. Brycen Hopkins finished with career highs in both catches and yards. He caught 10 passes for 140 yards on the day, leading the Boilermakers in both categories
This performance was by far the best we’ve seen the Purdue offense play with Plummer at the helm. With the offensive line giving him more time to throw, Plummer was able to find receivers down field. Brohm also mixed in some new looks for Plummer to get the ball out quickly.
Rush Defense: D-plus
Overall, Purdue’s defense was in bend-but-don't-break mode on Saturday, giving up just 14 points. The area where Purdue struggled was against the run. With Tyrrell Pigrome at quarterback for Maryland, he ran wild through the Purdue defense, finishing with 107 yards. He scored on a 61-yard keeper in the second quarter. Running back Javon Leake also added 79 yards and one touchdown on 11.3 yards per carry.
Maryland spent the day running RPOs with Pigrome, and when he kept the ball, Purdue struggled. They failed to recognize the fake on multiple occasions, leading to big gains, including the 61-yard score.
West Lafayette, IN, USA; Maryland Terrapins running back Antwaine Richardson (20) scores against the Purdue Boilermakers in the first half at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
Pass Defense: A
The Purdue pass defense looked great on Saturday, continuing its solid play from the second half of the Penn State game. They limited Maryland to just 218 yards through the air and intercepted two passes. Cory Trice, a guy who Brohm raved about during the week, had both interceptions. With Maryland keeping the game close in the second quarter, Trice flipped momentum with a 37-yard interception return for a touchdown right before halftime.
Maryland is an offensive-minded team, but it was fooled by Purdue all day long. Some of that is due to Maryland using its backup quarterback, but Purdue still deserves credit for the way it played.
Special Teams: C
Purdue's special teams had one of its more underwhelming performances on Saturday. It started after Purdue’s first score, with them botching the snap on the point-after-attempt. Later in the game, J.D. Dellinger missed a 52-yard field goal.
Purdue’s only special teams success came in limiting a good group of Maryland returners. They held them to zero punt returns, and held them to an average of 17 yards per kick return.
Coaching: B-plus
During the week, Brohm talked about a variety of changes that were necessary leading up to Saturday’s game. He followed through on all of it, getting the tight ends involved and staying creative on defense. It was good to see him recognize the need for change, and making the changes work.
Brohm showed that he can have success with a young team. Now fans just have to wait to see if it can continue the rest of the season.
Intangibles: A
The most important thing about Saturday’s win was that the young guys showed that they can compete in the Big Ten. After struggling the past few weeks, they practiced well and improved in the 40-14 win.
If the team and coaches can continue to improve, Purdue may have more success than expected going forward.
