Purdue football: 3 things Boilermakers needs to accomplish during bye week
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind — Purdue ended the nonconference portion of the schedule with a 34-13 loss to TCU on Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium. That leaves them at a disappointing 1-2 heading into the bye week, with a tough Big Ten slate looming ahead.
Here are three things I want to see the Boilermakers accomplish during their off week before hosting Minnesota on Sept. 28:
1. Get healthy
The main thing plaguing this Purdue team right now is injuries, so getting healthy should be the main focus for coach Jeff Brohm and his players. A two-week break before the matchup against Minnesota should give the team plenty of time to recoup and get back to near full strength.
Purdue was missing several key players heading for the TCU game, and saw more injuries pop up during the game. Here’s a list of the current key injuries to this Purdue team:
- QB Elijah Sindelar
- OL Matt McCann
- WR David Bell
- WR Jared Sparks
- LB Markus Bailey
- DE Lorenzo Neal
Besides Bailey, who is lost for the season, Purdue should be able to get everyone else back to full health prior to the Minnesota game.
2. Add another facet to the offense
So far, through three weeks of the season, Purdue has been a one trick pony on offense. The passing offense has proven that it is one of the best in the nation, but the running game is a completely different story.
Through three weeks, the Boilermakers are averaging a dismal 2.1 yards per carry, rushing for 150 yards and one touchdown on 72 attempts.
Brohm — and the entire offense, for that matter — knows how important establishing a run game would be to this offense.
“”We’ve got to be able to knock people back off the ball and get some runs,” Brohm said. “We’re not going anywhere, and that’s disappointing.”
Sindelar, wide receiver Rondale Moore, and company can’t be asked to carry the load each and every game. At some point, the ground game will have to get going, and with two weeks until the next game, now seems like a better time than ever.
3. Find a defensive leader
Saturday’s game against TCU was the first without starting linebacker and defensive captain Markus Bailey and, frankly, the Boilermaker defense looked lost without him.
They had no answer for TCU’s rushing attack, giving up 346 yards and three touchdowns.
Without Bailey, who had 14 tackles and a sack through the first two weeks of the season, the middle of the field was wide open for the Horned Frogs.
Linebacker Ben Holt seemed to be the only guy to step up for Purdue, posting 17 tackles on the night. He’s going to need more help around him if the Boilermaker defense is going to succeed without Bailey.