Takeaways From Purdue Coach Jeff Brohm's Monday Press Conference
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — There's less than one more week of preparation before Boilermaker football returns to the field at Ross-Ade Stadium, kicking off the 2021 season. Coach Jeff Brohm and Purdue welcomes Oregon State on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.
Brohm spoke to the local media ahead of the program's season-opening matchup and gave insight as to what fans should expect come game day. It's been a long road to get ready for this point, but there's still work to be done.
"We're definitely excited to kick off this season this Saturday," Brohm said. "I think our players, our staff, we put in a lot of hard work, just like every team across the country, to get ready to have hopefully an exciting and successful season. There's been a lot of preparation, a lot of work put into it, but it's still about going out there and performing, putting it all together, being able to execute and do things efficiently throughout an entire game and find ways to win in the fourth quarter.
"I'm excited to see our team compete and play. I think it's important that we continue to preach play hard and play tough and play smart and play to the end and continue to find ways to get better, but I do think that our guys are very eager to get on the field and play against an opponent, and we welcome Oregon State this weekend, who had a very good year last year as far as being very competitive in every game."
Winning Week 1 is Big, but There's a Full Season Ahead
Purdue football opened up the 2020 season with a 2-0 record, which was followed by four straight losses to end the year. Back in 2018, in Brohm's second season as the Boilermakers' head coach, the team lost its first three games but rallied for a Bowl appearance at the end of the year.
While it's true that early losses aren't always insurmountable, the Boilermakers would rather not have to scramble for victories at the tail end of the season.
"The momentum is always good to have if you can figure out a way to win the first game, and without question we want to do that," Brohm said. "It's at home. We want to try to win all of our home games. It starts with Oregon State. So yes, we want to win. We've put a lot of work into it, and we want to go out and try to find a way to win."
It's important to start on the right foot, but this team knows the season won't be defined solely by the season opener. Win or lose, there are 11 more games that Purdue must play after Oregon State.
"You've got to be tough enough to move on to the next game regardless of how good you played, which you can sometimes let your foot off the gas," Brohm said. "Or how bad you possibly have played, where you sometimes start to second-guess and doubt and listen to a few naysayers.
"It's important that our guys understand that. We talk about it. We communicate it. We always hope things go extremely well, but winning game 1 is going to be priority right now, and we're going to do everything we can to do that."
What to Expect From Oregon State
While the Beavers may not seem like a formidable foe on paper after finishing the 2020 season with a 2-5 record, they're a group that is capable of an upset — much like the Boilermakers in years past.
All five of Oregon State's losses were within two scores. Its season was highlighted by an upset victory a then-ranked Oregon program at home.
"When you watch Oregon State, you can tell that they're a hungry football team," Brohm said. "They're out to prove themselves, as well. They want to make a name for their program and continue to improve.
"Beating Oregon when they were in the top 25 was big for them. They were competitive in almost every game to the very end and had a chance to win."
The Beavers scored 28.9 points per game last season, which ranked eighth in the Pac-12 in 2020. However, they were a dominant rushing team, recording 197.6 yards on the ground per contest and scoring 15 touchdowns — tied for second in the conference.
Oregon State's defense struggled, but defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Tim Tibesar has experience playing in the Big Ten. He enters his fourth season with the program after spending three years as the outside linebackers coach at Wisconsin.
"They want to run the football. They want to control the ball. They want to be physical in their approach. They want to play sound defense," Brohm said. "Their defensive coordinator has a Wisconsin background, so they do some things very similar to that. Wisconsin has always been great on that side of the ball, especially here recently."
Purdue was no stranger to close games last season, having lost all four of its games by 10 points or less. For the team to start on the winning side of the standings, there's still plenty to prepare for during practice this week.
"We've got to do the small things while we continue to try to create plays, and we've got to win the special teams battle, but they're going to fight to the end," Brohm said. "When you watch on video throughout the entire game, they play to the very end. Our guys need to understand that, and they need to know it's going to be a full 60-minute game."
Anticipate Transfers to Play a Big Role
The Purdue football program bolstered its roster this offseason with several additions via the transfer portal. Many of them are in a position to have significant playing time against Oregon State on Saturday.
Here's a look at the transfers that will suit up for the Boilermakers in the season opener:
- Broc Thompson, WR (Marshall)
- Damarjhe Lewis, DT (Indiana)
- Joe Anderson, DE (South Carolina)
- OC Brothers, LB (Auburn)
- Jamari Brown, CB (Kentucky)
- Chris Jefferson, S (Findlay)
- Tyler Witt, OL (Western Kentucky)
- Dylan Downing, RB (UNLV)
- PrinceJames Boyd, DT (Junior College)
"I hope the impact the transfers have are great," Brohm said. "We feel like they're definitely going to be a good majority of those guys in the mix right off the bat. Even the ones that may not be starting will play and we think can play effectively for us.
"So I think of all the transfers we've brought in, all of them are going to see action, and all of them I think can help us. I think that we've been fortunate to address some needs, and I think what we've done in bringing those guys in have helped our team to this point, and obviously it's got to carry over to the games."
Offensive Line Depth Still Being Sorted Out
The Boilermakers' offense line was banged up during fall camp, but most of the players who dealt with injuries have returned to practice. The starters along the offensive front have plenty of experience, especially after adding Western Kentucky transfer Tyler Witt.
The biggest concern heading into Week 1 is the depth within the group, and Purdue is lacking. On Monday, Brohm said there are about six or seven players who will be in the rotation, and he doesn't expect to play any younger lineman just yet.
"Depth is a little bit of a concern, but every year you're going to have some form or fashion of that at different positions," he said. "I feel like our line has improved to this point. Not until you get in a real game will you be able to tell 100% for sure, but I think they've worked hard, they've been physical, they understand what we're trying to do."
The return of sophomore offensive lineman Cam Craig gives a boost to the offensive line. He missed several practices leading up to this week but should be good to go against Oregon State.
"Cam Craig has come back this week, has been nicked up a little bit, but we're going to try to get a full week of practice in with him and get him out on the game field," Brohm said."
Marvin Grant, Jamari Brown Will be Available on Defense
After missing time during fall camp, sophomore safety Marvin Grant and junior cornerback Jamari Brown will be available to bolster the Purdue secondary on Saturday.
Grant was injured during the team's first practice of fall camp. He is expected to start against Oregon State.
"Marvin Grant has been back practicing with us, and he's a physical player that still has some youth," Brohm said. "The more he practices, the better he's going to get, and I think when he knows what to do and he can be the quarterback and understand exactly what's going on, he can play very well. He's just got to make sure that mentally he's locked in and focused but he has a ton of talent and he's back healthy."
Brown, a transfer from Kentucky, returned to practice in the past few weeks and will be in the rotation behind cornerbacks Corey Trice and Dedrick Mackey.
"We anticipate him playing. Right now he's in the mix behind Cory Trice and Dedrick Mackey, but he's done some good things," Brohm said. "We've got to get him just continuing to understand exactly what we're doing and be on the same page and there can be no mental busts, but he does have talent and length, so we like what he brings to the room."
Stories Related to Purdue Football
- JEFF BROHM PRESS CONFERENCE: Purdue football coach Jeff Brohm met with the local media Monday to discuss the team's season opener against Oregon State on Saturday. Here are the highlights from what he had to say, and what we should expect from the Boilermakers to start the season. CLICK HERE
- GEORGE KARLAFTIS NO. 11 NFL DRAFT PROSPECT: Purdue junior defensive end George Karlaftis posted 54 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks as a freshman in 2019. Despite appearing in just three games last year, he is one of the top NFL Draft prospects for the upcoming season. CLICK HERE
- DAMARCUS MITCHELL FUELED BY OPPORTUNITY: DaMarcus Mitchell's father never had the chance to play college football, but the person that introduced him to the sport will be in the stands cheering for him at every Purdue home game. CLICK HERE
- JACK PLUMMER NAMED STARTING QB: Jack Plummer has appeared in 10 games for Purdue over the last two seasons. In his career, he's totalled 2,541 yards, 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He earned the starting nod over Aidan O'Connell and Austin Burton. CLICK HERE
- JACK ANSELL ADDS STABILITY TO PURDUE PUNTING UNIT: Jack Ansell trained at Prokick Australia to prepare for his opportunity to play in America. Now, after adjusting to the Purdue football program, he's looking to contribute to a special teams unit that struggled last season for the Boilermakers. CLICK HERE
- KARLAFTIS IMPROVING LEADERSHIP: There's no denying George Karlaftis' impact on the football field. But the Purdue junior defensive end has taken it upon himself to become a better leader ahead of the 2021 college football season. CLICK HERE
Position Breakdowns
- QUARTERBACKS: After a quarterback battle during fall camp, junior Jack Plummer was named the starter for Purdue football. There's plenty of talent behind him this season as the Boilermakers search for consistency at the position. 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.