Ride or Slide: Purdue's Plan to Keep Quarterback Hudson Card Healthy
Burdened by shoulder and rib injuries last year, Hudson Card made an effort to bulk up during the offseason. The Purdue quarterback put an emphasis on durability as he enters his second season in West Lafayette.
Judging by the numbers, you probably wouldn't have guessed that Card was so banged up in 2023. He played in 11 games for the Boilers, throwing for 2,387 yards and 15 touchdowns while completing better than 58% of his passes.
Those are solid numbers for any quarterback. But Card put up that stat line while battling through pain. So, when the offseason finally arrived, he wanted to put on some additional weight to help absorb contact.
"That's been a big focus," Card said. "I've been doing everything I can to gain weight as well as having my body functioning to where it can get in uncomfortable positions and I'll be OK through it."
Card's only absence in 2023 came in Purdue's 23-15 loss to Northwestern on Nov. 18. The pain of missing that game weighed on him heavily, so he decided to suit up for the Boilermakers in their season finale against Indiana.
It was then that Card's toughness showed. Despite the injuries, Card threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns while completing 21-of-34 passes. He also rushed for 85 yards and an additional score on 12 carries.
The Boilers defeated the Hoosiers 35-31 in a dramatic rivalry victory.
On chilly November afternoon at Ross-Ade Stadium, Card put together an admirable performance. But Purdue doesn't necessarily want to put its starting quarterback in that position again this season.
Card has put on a little extra weight this offseason, up to 208 pounds at the start of fall camp. That's an eight-pound increase from last year — something that offensive coordinator Graham Harrell believes will benefit the quarterback .
"He's definitely gained some weight," Harrell said. "We try to avoid hits as much as possible, but naturally, playing the position, it's unavoidable, you're going to take hits. But I think the increased weight will definitely help him with durability."
Putting on a few extra pounds hasn't been the only way Purdue has addressed Card's health. Coach Ryan Walters and his staff bolstered the offensive line, providing more talent and depth to protect the quarterback this season.
Now with a full year in Harrell's system, Card is also going through his progressions and finding receivers quicker. When he's in the pocket, Purdue's staff feels pretty good about keeping him upright.
The concerns come when Card has to improvise. Harrell doesn't want his quarterback to be hesitant when he's on the run, but he also doesn't want him taking any unnecessary hits.
"He's an athletic kid. Because of that, you don't want to take his creativity away on the football field," Harrell said. "By the same token, you want him to be smart, don't take a hit. Staying healthy is extremely important for our entire team, but especially for him."
Already, Card seems more cognizant of his importance to Purdue entering 2024. The decision to slide or take contact must be made in nanoseconds during a game. But in fall camp, Card acknowledges that he needs to make smarter choices when he's running the football.
"If I've got to have it — third or fourth down — go get it," Card said. "Other than that, probably be smart and slide is probably the better decision. I'm going to try to be smarter in that sense this year. But, there's going to be times where I need to go get it and I'll do my best to get that done."
Schematically, nothing really changes for Purdue's offense in regards to Card. The goal is still to move the ball through the air and utilize the quarterback's athleticism when the time is right.
"What's it going to take to win a game? Do we need to run him? Do we need to protect him? Whatever is required," Walters said when asked what the game plan is for Card this fall.
"Ultimately, winning is all that matters. We'll do whatever we can to win."
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