OPINION: Purdue Quarterback Aidan O'Connell Deserves a Chance to Start Under Center

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue football has a quarterback controversy on its hands heading into its second week of Big Ten play. Junior Jack Plummer, who won the starting job during fall camp, has been benched in each of the past two games in favor of fifth-year senior Aidan O'Connell.

Coach Jeff Brohm has said all year that he likes the talent in the quarterback room, and he won't hesitate to utilize multiple players if he has to.

He's stayed true to his word, that's for sure.

Although, this constant flip-flopping of signal-callers isn't what's going to be the cause of a successful season. The program will internally announce a starter Tuesday for its upcoming matchup with Minnesota this weekend, and that player should be O'Connell.

Now, I've seen both sides of the coin with O'Connell under center. He's a confident passer who's unafraid to take some shots in the middle of the field. But in the last two games of relief, he's thrown a combined four interceptions.

That can't happen, but when you step onto the field cold turkey in the third quarter, you can't expect perfection. However, you can't put all the blame O'Connell for the blemishes on his stat sheet.

Two of those interceptions were a result of dropped passes, and the other pair came when he pushed the ball down the field when the team was down on the scoreboard.

O'Connell has lit a fire under the Purdue offense when it needed it, making big plays when Plummer couldn't at times, and he deserves a chance to put a full game under his belt this season.

"He's got great poise," Brohm said of O'Connell on Monday. "He's got great command under pressure. He doesn't allow anything to bother him. Normally if you came in, you throw two interceptions your first two series, it's going to bother a lot of quarterbacks, but it does not bother him, so he's got great confidence."

Here's how the two quarterbacks stack up against each other after four weeks.

Games Played

Plummer: 4
O'Connell: 3

Completions and Attempts

Plummer: 82-of-118 (69.5%)
O'Connell: 32-of-48 (66.7%)

Touchdowns and Interceptions

Plummer: 7 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
O'Connell: 3 touchdowns, 4 interceptions

Total Passing Yards (Yards per Game)

Plummer: 840 yards (210 yards per game)
O'Connell: 372 (124 yards per game)

Now, the averages might be in favor of Plummer, but remember to note that O'Connell has played in less than six quarters in three appearances. In the last two games, Plummer has averaged less than five yards per completion compared to just over 7.7 from O'Connell.

Another key stat to note is that Plummer has been sacked seven times already this year. He won the job in part due to his ability to scramble, extend plays and pick up yards with his feet. That has yet to be seen in a way that impacts the Boilermakers' offense.

O'Connell, while not as mobile, stands firm in the pocket and has only been sacked one time. Brohm continually praises O'Connell's ability to allow routes to develop down the field and make accurate throws in the face of pressure.

"In some of those looks, you've got to be able to make the intermediate throws, and it's important that you do that," Brohm said. "Aidan is really good at the intermediate throws because he'll stand in there, he'll anticipate, he'll throw on time. Anything that flashes in front of him won't get him out of the pocket. He'll stay in there to the last minute, and that's what you have to do to play quarterback at a high level and make big-time throws, which he made really big-time throws on a couple of those. You have to be able to do that, and that is his strength."

O'Connell won the job last season, and he's been showing why when he steps onto the field. The former walk-on has seen the ups and the downs of this program while developing himself into one of the team's true leaders.

I'm not trying to say he isn't deserving of criticism, but the man should at least have the chance to put together a full game. Plummer's had that chance.

"He's a young man of great faith who treats people right and does things the right way, is a great teammate, supports all of our guys on the team, including all the other quarterbacks — Jack included — and just is ready when his opportunity comes," Brohm said. "So that's a credit to him, his family, his upbringing and his work ethic."

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