Consistency Along Offensive Line Spearheads Newfound Balance for Purdue Football

A steady rotation along the offensive line has been part of a winning formula for Purdue football. Despite being known for its pass-heavy offense, the Boilermakers have a duo run for 100 yards in back-to-back games for the first time since the 2017 season.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A pass-heavy aerial assault has been synonymous with Purdue football in recent memory. In the era of head coach Jeff Brohm, the Boilermakers have often struggled to run the ball. 

But without starting quarterback Aidan O'Connell at full strength the past two weeks, it's been the ground game that has helped lead the team to victory by closing out games, and the Purdue offensive line is at the forefront of that recent success. 

"We need to do the best job we can to put them in a position to succeed by having some balance," Brohm said during his weekly press conference on Monday. "If you ask them to pass protect all game long, no one can do that."

Gaining yards through the air will always be this team's bread and butter, but by showing it can have consistency running the ball, it gives more options to an offense that boasts the third-most passing yards in the Big Ten yet ranks seventh in total yards through five weeks. 

After a 1-2 start to the season that featured two gutwrenching, last-minute losses to Penn State and Syracuse, Purdue has won its last two games thanks to back-to-back 100-yard rushing performances by junior Dylan Downing and redshirt freshman Devin Mockobee.

Downing ran for 113 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries in the team's 28-26 Homecoming victory over Florida Atlantic in Week 4. Mockobee followed up by gaining 112 yards on just 11 rushes while also reaching the end zone to seal a 20-10 win over No. 21 Minnesota on the road last week. 

It was the first time the Boilermakers had a duo run for 100 yards in back-to-back games since Markell Jones and D.J. Knox during the 2017 season. After ranking at the bottom of the league in rushing yards the last three years, Purdue sits at 10th in the Big Ten with an average of 140.4 yards on the ground per game.  

"Before the season started we had some goals as a unit to try and reach every game and that was one of them, 100 yards rushing. And so far, we got two," Purdue redshirt freshman offensive lineman Marcus MBow said. "It's a good feeling, we're gonna keep building off that and getting better."

Throughout the course of the 2022 season, the Boilermakers have opted to deploy a stable of players along the offensive front. As many as eight different offensive linemen have seen playing time in the first five weeks. 

The depth and rotation have resulted in fresh legs at the end of games, allowing the team to generate push in the run game without being affected by fatigue. Purdue has allowed just three tackles for loss per game, which is the fewest in the Big Ten and ranks fourth in the nation. 

"I think having a lot of guys who can play is really helpful. Just being able to move guys around and not really miss a beat has been huge," Purdue junior center Gus Hartwig said. "Guys have gotten hurt, and guys have been able to play. And really, having everybody be able to play different positions and be able to do different things has been really good."

After facing concerns about converting in the red zone entering the season, the Boilermakers have trampled all expectations, scoring in 19 out of 20 trips inside the 20-yard line. In fact, 17 of those scores have been touchdowns. 

The offensive line has been a massive proponent of that success. All nine of the team's rushing touchdowns on the year have come in the red zone, including seven from inside the 5-yard line. 

"Whatever the play is, the kids have got to block and perform at that high rate to get us the ball in the endzone and not settle for field goals," Purdue offensive line coach Dale Williams said.

Even if a rotating offensive lineman is a seemingly uncustomary tactic, the Boilermakers have made it part of a winning formula on offense. The talented unit has paved the way for Purdue's offensive scheme to adapt to its opponents and evolve with more multiplicity. 

They'll look to continue having success in a road matchup with Maryland on Saturday. The game is scheduled for noon ET at SECU Stadium in College Park, Md. 

"We've worked hard on that aspect over the last couple years," Brohm said. "It's not ever going to be perfect or a perfect science to us, but we've got a good nucleus of guys that give us great effort. They always have. They want to win."

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