The first leaf hasn't even fallen off a tree yet, and Purdue already finds itself at a crossroads in the 2019 season.
That's what myriad injuries will do to a team.
That's what a still-developing offensive line will do to a team.
That's what a tough schedule will do to a team.
The Boilermakers' loss to TCU wasn't unexpected. But, the team's lack of competitiveness was. And, Purdue's task on a perfect Saturday night in West Lafayette was complicated by having to start redshirt freshman quarterback Jack Plummer for the first time with Elijah Sindelar out with a concussion.
It wasn't ideal circumstances for Plummer to make his debut, facing a rugged TCU defense loaded with skill, speed and experience.
“Jack hung in there,” said Jeff Brohm. “I knew this would be a tough matchup for him. First start out of the gate. First interception, he put it where we need to put it. Didn’t catch a few breaks. We didn’t make any breaks early on. It wasn’t a good performance by our best players. A lot of pressure was on him. But he hung in there. He’ll get better. But we have to get better around him, as well. We have to go back to the drawing board.”
Couple Plummer's inexperience with a Boilermaker offensive line that has had its issues in 2019 ... and well, you could get a sense where this game may end up.
Purdue needs this upcoming off week. It comes at a perfect time. Think of it as a line of demarcation for the program. The Boilermakers are 1-2. Big Ten play begins September 28 when Minnesota comes to Ross-Ade Stadium. Lots of possibilities remain.
The off-time will allow Sindelar to get better. It's hoped he'll be back ... but Brohm could offer no such proclamations in the post-game.
“Elijah didn’t pass protocol,” said Brohm. “I think he came out and practiced Wednesday maybe. Thursday, wasn’t feeling good. So we allowed it some more time. We want to do what’s best for Elijah so whenever he gets healthy, we will play him.
“You would hope so, but I don’t know. That stuff is out of my hand. I would think he would be. I’m hopeful that he would. Hopefully, he will be OK for the Minnesota game.”
And--who knows?--maybe defensive tackle Lorenzo Neal will be back from his knee injury. The defense could use his presence, especially now that linebacker Markus Bailey is out for the season with a knee injury. The defense has shown enough to know that it can be a solid--not great--unit.
"I think we need to work on tackling," said linebacker Ben Holt. "A bunch of us had missed tackles here and there. I think that will be a big emphasis for us. And running to the ball and getting in better shape. And we all have to know our assignments going forward. We can’t stay in this TCU game. We have to move on."
The offense?
That's the conundrum. That's the side of the ball that holds the key to this team making it to a bowl for a third season in a row. Tonight proved it can barely function without Sindelar. With Sindelar, Purdue should have at least a puncher's chance in most games.
"It just kind of a complete lackluster day," said Brohm. "Excuse me, that’s even too polite. It was a dismal day for all of us. And it’s something that should hurt us. And it will see what we are made of. We have a lot of work to do. We have a lot of good football teams to play the rest of the year.”
How will Purdue respond? The importance of the Minnesota game can't be overstated. After that comes a trip to Penn State.
"Well, the score says it all," said Brohm. "It was a bad day for us. We understand that. It's disappointing. It was a dismal performance by our football team. We are thankful for the crowd that showed up. They were in full effect. Every seat was taken. They were electric and we disappointed them. It’s something that will hurt us and it should."
Now, will the hurting stop?
That's what myriad injuries will do to a team.
That's what a still-developing offensive line will do to a team.
That's what a tough schedule will do to a team.
The Boilermakers' loss to TCU wasn't unexpected. But, the team's lack of competitiveness was. And, Purdue's task on a perfect Saturday night in West Lafayette was complicated by having to start redshirt freshman quarterback Jack Plummer for the first time with Elijah Sindelar out with a concussion.
It wasn't ideal circumstances for Plummer to make his debut, facing a rugged TCU defense loaded with skill, speed and experience.
“Jack hung in there,” said Jeff Brohm. “I knew this would be a tough matchup for him. First start out of the gate. First interception, he put it where we need to put it. Didn’t catch a few breaks. We didn’t make any breaks early on. It wasn’t a good performance by our best players. A lot of pressure was on him. But he hung in there. He’ll get better. But we have to get better around him, as well. We have to go back to the drawing board.”
Couple Plummer's inexperience with a Boilermaker offensive line that has had its issues in 2019 ... and well, you could get a sense where this game may end up.
Purdue needs this upcoming off week. It comes at a perfect time. Think of it as a line of demarcation for the program. The Boilermakers are 1-2. Big Ten play begins September 28 when Minnesota comes to Ross-Ade Stadium. Lots of possibilities remain.
The off-time will allow Sindelar to get better. It's hoped he'll be back ... but Brohm could offer no such proclamations in the post-game.
“Elijah didn’t pass protocol,” said Brohm. “I think he came out and practiced Wednesday maybe. Thursday, wasn’t feeling good. So we allowed it some more time. We want to do what’s best for Elijah so whenever he gets healthy, we will play him.
“You would hope so, but I don’t know. That stuff is out of my hand. I would think he would be. I’m hopeful that he would. Hopefully, he will be OK for the Minnesota game.”
And--who knows?--maybe defensive tackle Lorenzo Neal will be back from his knee injury. The defense could use his presence, especially now that linebacker Markus Bailey is out for the season with a knee injury. The defense has shown enough to know that it can be a solid--not great--unit.
"I think we need to work on tackling," said linebacker Ben Holt. "A bunch of us had missed tackles here and there. I think that will be a big emphasis for us. And running to the ball and getting in better shape. And we all have to know our assignments going forward. We can’t stay in this TCU game. We have to move on."
The offense?
That's the conundrum. That's the side of the ball that holds the key to this team making it to a bowl for a third season in a row. Tonight proved it can barely function without Sindelar. With Sindelar, Purdue should have at least a puncher's chance in most games.
"It just kind of a complete lackluster day," said Brohm. "Excuse me, that’s even too polite. It was a dismal day for all of us. And it’s something that should hurt us. And it will see what we are made of. We have a lot of work to do. We have a lot of good football teams to play the rest of the year.”
How will Purdue respond? The importance of the Minnesota game can't be overstated. After that comes a trip to Penn State.
"Well, the score says it all," said Brohm. "It was a bad day for us. We understand that. It's disappointing. It was a dismal performance by our football team. We are thankful for the crowd that showed up. They were in full effect. Every seat was taken. They were electric and we disappointed them. It’s something that will hurt us and it should."
Now, will the hurting stop?
