2020 First Glance Week 8: The Bucket Game Caps off the 2020 Regular Season on December 12th
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College Football’s third largest drum Image: Amanda Pavelka Hoosier Huddle
Written by T.J. Inman
Week Eight: Purdue Boilermakers
Date & Time: December 12th, TBA
Venue: Memorial Stadium (Bloomington, IN)
TV: TBA
Boilermakers at a Glance
Head Coach: Jeff Brohm
Record at Purdue: 17-21 (12-15 in B1G)
Overall Record: 47-31
Last Season: 4-8 (3-6 in B1G)
Boilermakers Returning Leaders
Passing: Jack Plummer – 144-241 (59.8%) for 1603 yards with 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions
Rushing: King Doerue – 130 carries for 451 yards with five touchdowns
Receiving: David Bell – 86 receptions for 1,035 yards with seven touchdowns
Tackles: Derrick Barnes – 63 tackles
Preseason Predictions
Pick Six Previews – 6th in the West, #46 overall
Impact Newcomers
-Gus Hartwig – center/interior OL
-Maliq Carr – wide receiver
-Greg Hudgins – defensive end
Biggest Questions Facing the 2020 Boilermakers
1. Can Jeff Brohm begin to deliver on the huge investment the Boilermaker administration is making in him?
2. If Purdue’s offense is healthy, can anyone stop their dynamic talent at wide receiver? That will largely depend on how much the offensive line can progress after a woeful 2019 performance.
3. The Boilermakers have a new defensive coordinator and return a young defense. Will the defense be able to improve after a disappointing step back last season?
Program Preview
The Purdue Boilermakers had legitimate momentum heading into the 2019 season. Rondale Moore was a returning All-American and one of the most exciting players in the country, a top 25 recruiting class was being added to the roster and they had a bowl appearance to be proud of (although it went horribly). However, major injuries and a hugely disappointing defensive unit doomed the Boilers to an underwhelming 4-8 season. Once again, Purdue has reason for optimism but that optimism now must be somewhat cautious as there are questions at quarterback, the offensive line and an overhauled defense with new coordinator Bob Diaco. Jeff Brohm is being compensated like a coach that should be winning division titles, it’s time for Purdue to start seeing results commensurate with his salary but that does seem unlikely with the current roster.
Offensive Preview
Jeff Brohm can orchestrate a dynamic passing offense. Of that, there should be no question. Despite losing Rondale Moore for much of the 2019 season, Purdue was still very good through the air as Brycen Hopkins and freshman David Bell stepped up and took center stage. A pair of quarterbacks with starting experience return as both Aidan O’Connell and Jack Plummer return. My money is on Plummer, a redshirt sophomore, starting the season as QB1. He has a stronger arm and is mobile enough to extend plays. Austin Burton, a transfer from UCLA, is also an option as a more athletic and mobile player but I don’t see him beating out Plummer. The strength of the squad is the wide receiver group. Rondale Moore opted out and then opted back in so the Boilermakers will get to see the duo of David Bell and Moore on the field at the same time. That’s a scary proposition for opponents and they also add Maliq Carr, a four-star receiver that is 6’5” and very athletic. This is one of the best receiver groups in the league, bar none. They will miss Brycen Hopkins at tight end and don’t appear to have anyone ready to fill his shoes. Running back will be done by committee as they look to Zander Horvath and King Doerue to improve on one of the last season’s worst rushing attacks. The offensive line should be more experienced than it was a season ago but they simply have to be better than they were last season if the Boilermakers want to improve on the ground and give whoever is quarterback some time in the pocket. I think this can be a great offense but the quarterbacks, especially Plummer, have to be more accurate. He was under 50% completion rate in far too many contests.
Defensive Preview
Purdue’s defense certainly suffered from injuries to Markus Bailey and Lorenzo Neal. Those were two experienced and talented players they were counting on to lead on that side of the ball. Even with those two guys out though, 2019 was a disappointment by almost any measure. George Karlaftis was a major bright spot and he is now the cornerstone of this unit, led by new defensive coordinator Bob Diaco. The well-traveled DC had great success a decade ago in South Bend, a team that was loaded with talent. Most recently, he flamed out at Nebraska. Karlaftis will pair with Derrick Barnes and the returning Lorenzo Neal to form a strong defensive line. Linebacker will be led by Jaylan Alexander and Jalen Graham but there are major questions about depth. The secondary was extremely poor but they lose only one starter and bring back most everyone that contributed in 2019. The defense should be better but they’ll need to adapt quickly to a new scheme and Bob Diaco has to prove he’s still capable of engineering a successful unit.
Special Teams Preview
J.D. Dellinger returns for his senior season. He was 13 for 16 in 2019 and is an adequate kicker. The punter will be either Zac Collins or Brooks Cormier. The return units could be incredibly dangerous if Rondale Moore ends up returning kicks and punts.