Jeff Brohm Previews Purdue Football's Season Opener Against Penn State
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Gameday for Purdue football is finally on the doorstep. The team opens the 2022 season with a nationally televised matchup against Penn State on Thursday night at Ross-Ade Stadium.
Coming off a 9-4 record a year ago — the program's nine-win season since 2003 — opening with a prominent Big Ten opponent provides a golden opportunity to not only make a statement inside the conference but across the country as well.
Purdue coach Jeff Brohm, who enters his sixth year at the helm, met with the media Monday to discuss the start of a new college football season and the team's readiness to kick off against Penn State.
"We're excited to get this season started off this upcoming Thursday at home against an outstanding opponent," Brohm said. "A lot of history and tradition at Penn State. We definitely realize we'll have our hands full, this is a very talented team."
It’s here!
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The last time the Boilermakers matched up with the Nittany Lions was back in October of 2019. Penn State jumped to a dominant lead early on, and it became insurmountable as Purdue fell 35-7 in State College, Pennsylvania.
Despite the defeat coming three seasons ago, it's one that Brohm was still able to reflect on during the offseason and throughout fall training camp heading into Thursday's game.
"It was 21-0 before we blinked," Brohm recalled. "We kind of had to fight and scrap just to not get blown off the field. This will really test us and see where we stand right off the bat, but that's why you play the game.
"I do know our guys have worked hard between the time of last season and this upcoming game. Our coaches put in a lot of time, but so has every team across the country. We've gotta go out and play at a high level."
Penn State finished last season with a 7-6 overall record and a 4-5 mark in the Big Ten. The team started the year winning five straight games before dropping its next three, which included a 20-18 loss at home against Illinois that went to nine overtime periods.
Two wins in the final four games of the regular season earned Penn State a bid in the Outback Bowl against Arkansas to begin the new calendar year. But the Nittany Lions put up their lowest scoring output of the season in a 24-10 loss to the Razorbacks.
As Penn State enters its ninth season under head coach James Franklin, the team is unranked but received 160 votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll this preseason. A win for Purdue on Thursday would be its first with Brohm at the helm and would likely pave the way for a spot in the national rankings.
However, the odds are against Purdue heading into the matchup. The Boilermakers are a slight underdog against the Nittany Lions, according to the SI Sportsbook. But the team has embraced the challenge of facing a storied college football program to open the season.
"That's one of our strengths, our guys have a chip on their shoulder," Brohm said. "They all think they've been overlooked to a certain degree and are out to prove themselves. They're willing to put in the work to get it done, and they love playing great opponents."
Jeff Brohm Previews Matchup With Penn State
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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.