I attended the 2015 Spring Game as I have the last several. In my opinion, Blough is the best option for Purdue football going forward - hands down. Candidly, I have a hard time understanding how people could come to a different conclusion. (I will acknowledge that I have a job and don't attend all the Purdue practices like the coaching staff does. If you want to make that argument, feel free to stop reading now). Blough was the most impressive quarterback in the 2014 spring game even though he should have been a senior in high school and had limited exposure to the playbook. He was the most impressive quarterback yesterday.
In my estimation, Purdue football will not elevate above its current, pathetic level (sorry, but it's true) without a difference-maker at quarterback. Blough has a chance to be that player. The other two upper classmen do not.
Blough has several traits that we need. First, he is elusive and has good pocket presence. I am hoping that our offensive line is improved but I still think we will need a quarterback that can avoid the rush and make plays with his feet. It is especially effective in college football to have a player that can extend plays and pick up crucial third downs by running to the chains to keep drives alive. Blough seems to have that ability. He looked very quick yesterday and seemed to easily out run defenders who were chasing him on several occasions.
Second, he is an accurate passer. Unfortunately, we probably don't have the athletes at the receiver position who can simply out run people or beat defenders with their quickness. We also are unlikely to blow people off the line like Wisconsin does and just run over them. To a certain extent, we will are going to have to move the ball with a short, accurate passing game. That type of scheme doesn't work with a guy who is a 40 or 50% passer (i.e. AA). Blough appears to be able to put the ball on the numbers. I also think he is able to keep his head up and look downfield.
Third, he is a competitor. Blough seems to have a fiery attitude that can be infectious. He looks like he wants to win. He is active and seems to have a spring in his step. I keep hearing the term "moxie" used to describe him. I think that fits.
Fourth, I have been impressed with his athleticism and reasonably impressed with his ability to make all the necessary throws. In the 2014 spring game, the threw a very long touchdown against the wind that demonstrated good arm strength. Yesterday, he completed a 23 yard pass to Posey over the middle on a fourth and 13 that seemed to have good velocity. There is some Youtube video online of his high school highlights that appears to show good arm strength and he had a very impressive showing of athleticism at the 2013 Elite 11 Quarterback Camp. He does look a little under-sized, but there has been at least one successful Purdue quarterback in the past that fell into that category. His career has gone okay.
Fifth, he seems to have the "it" factor that makes for a good college quarterback. Some of this falls under "competitor" described above. However, I think it is more than that. He has a good pocket presence. It seems like he can feel the rush and move around. He seems to have that internal clock in his head for getting out of the huddle and getting plays off. He seems to carry himself like a winner. It is my understanding he got a 4.0 at Purdue last spring when he should have been a senior in high school. Aside from some basic athletic pre-requisites to play the position, I think the "it" factor is the most important characteristic for a college quarterback. You either have it or you don't. #15 who played for Purdue about 15 years ago had the "it" factor and still does.
In addition to the observations about Blough above, I think, unfortunately, we have seen enough of the two upper classmen to understand that it is very unlikely that they have what it takes to get Purdue over the hump. I am not trying to pick on 20 year old kids and I certainly admire them for their effort and contribution. However, in the last football game that Purdue played, our quarterback was 19 for 35 for 123 yards with 3 interceptions and 3 sacks against a very bad Indiana defense. This was a player who had been in the program for 3 full years. We were playing our rival in the most important game of the year and Indiana had a kid playing quarterback that probably wouldn't start for some good high school teams. You have to win that game. As a quarterback and leader, you have to find a way to win that game. Period. Our quarterback couldn't get the job done. That isn't the only example that we saw last year. It is just the most recent.
Blough will undoubtedly make mistakes. He will likely try to make plays when he shouldn't. He will probably force the ball at times. He will get blind-sided and fumble when he is scrambling. We may lose some games due to poor ball security. I think we have to understand that and be prepared to live with it. In case you don't remember, #15 threw a few picks in his day and #9 still occasionally tries to force things. Over time and with maturity, I think Blough can develop into the kind of quarterback that can make Saturday afternoons in Ross Ade stadium fun again. This year's Purdue senior class is graduating with no understanding of what it means to cheer on a competitive football team. We can't continue that way.
My final thought is that we can't spend all summer playing the game of "It's AA's job to lose and he looks like our starter." There isn't enough other talent on this roster to live with a "game manager" at quarterback. That's not going to get the fan base excited. The attendance at games this year might look like the 4th quarter of the Northwestern game last year if that is the coaching staff's approach. In addition, we need to build Blough's confidence. The team needs to get behind him. He needs the first team reps. He needs to know that he is the guy and the coaches understand that even though he will make some mistakes, he is our best option to win and elevate the program. He needs to know that the coaching staff is behind him and he doesn't have to constantly be looking over his shoulder if he makes a mistake.
This post was edited on 4/19 2:33 PM by Purdueparentx2
This post was edited on 4/19 2:49 PM by Purdueparentx2
In my estimation, Purdue football will not elevate above its current, pathetic level (sorry, but it's true) without a difference-maker at quarterback. Blough has a chance to be that player. The other two upper classmen do not.
Blough has several traits that we need. First, he is elusive and has good pocket presence. I am hoping that our offensive line is improved but I still think we will need a quarterback that can avoid the rush and make plays with his feet. It is especially effective in college football to have a player that can extend plays and pick up crucial third downs by running to the chains to keep drives alive. Blough seems to have that ability. He looked very quick yesterday and seemed to easily out run defenders who were chasing him on several occasions.
Second, he is an accurate passer. Unfortunately, we probably don't have the athletes at the receiver position who can simply out run people or beat defenders with their quickness. We also are unlikely to blow people off the line like Wisconsin does and just run over them. To a certain extent, we will are going to have to move the ball with a short, accurate passing game. That type of scheme doesn't work with a guy who is a 40 or 50% passer (i.e. AA). Blough appears to be able to put the ball on the numbers. I also think he is able to keep his head up and look downfield.
Third, he is a competitor. Blough seems to have a fiery attitude that can be infectious. He looks like he wants to win. He is active and seems to have a spring in his step. I keep hearing the term "moxie" used to describe him. I think that fits.
Fourth, I have been impressed with his athleticism and reasonably impressed with his ability to make all the necessary throws. In the 2014 spring game, the threw a very long touchdown against the wind that demonstrated good arm strength. Yesterday, he completed a 23 yard pass to Posey over the middle on a fourth and 13 that seemed to have good velocity. There is some Youtube video online of his high school highlights that appears to show good arm strength and he had a very impressive showing of athleticism at the 2013 Elite 11 Quarterback Camp. He does look a little under-sized, but there has been at least one successful Purdue quarterback in the past that fell into that category. His career has gone okay.
Fifth, he seems to have the "it" factor that makes for a good college quarterback. Some of this falls under "competitor" described above. However, I think it is more than that. He has a good pocket presence. It seems like he can feel the rush and move around. He seems to have that internal clock in his head for getting out of the huddle and getting plays off. He seems to carry himself like a winner. It is my understanding he got a 4.0 at Purdue last spring when he should have been a senior in high school. Aside from some basic athletic pre-requisites to play the position, I think the "it" factor is the most important characteristic for a college quarterback. You either have it or you don't. #15 who played for Purdue about 15 years ago had the "it" factor and still does.
In addition to the observations about Blough above, I think, unfortunately, we have seen enough of the two upper classmen to understand that it is very unlikely that they have what it takes to get Purdue over the hump. I am not trying to pick on 20 year old kids and I certainly admire them for their effort and contribution. However, in the last football game that Purdue played, our quarterback was 19 for 35 for 123 yards with 3 interceptions and 3 sacks against a very bad Indiana defense. This was a player who had been in the program for 3 full years. We were playing our rival in the most important game of the year and Indiana had a kid playing quarterback that probably wouldn't start for some good high school teams. You have to win that game. As a quarterback and leader, you have to find a way to win that game. Period. Our quarterback couldn't get the job done. That isn't the only example that we saw last year. It is just the most recent.
Blough will undoubtedly make mistakes. He will likely try to make plays when he shouldn't. He will probably force the ball at times. He will get blind-sided and fumble when he is scrambling. We may lose some games due to poor ball security. I think we have to understand that and be prepared to live with it. In case you don't remember, #15 threw a few picks in his day and #9 still occasionally tries to force things. Over time and with maturity, I think Blough can develop into the kind of quarterback that can make Saturday afternoons in Ross Ade stadium fun again. This year's Purdue senior class is graduating with no understanding of what it means to cheer on a competitive football team. We can't continue that way.
My final thought is that we can't spend all summer playing the game of "It's AA's job to lose and he looks like our starter." There isn't enough other talent on this roster to live with a "game manager" at quarterback. That's not going to get the fan base excited. The attendance at games this year might look like the 4th quarter of the Northwestern game last year if that is the coaching staff's approach. In addition, we need to build Blough's confidence. The team needs to get behind him. He needs the first team reps. He needs to know that he is the guy and the coaches understand that even though he will make some mistakes, he is our best option to win and elevate the program. He needs to know that the coaching staff is behind him and he doesn't have to constantly be looking over his shoulder if he makes a mistake.
This post was edited on 4/19 2:33 PM by Purdueparentx2
This post was edited on 4/19 2:49 PM by Purdueparentx2