Purdue Coach Jeff Brohm Discusses Team's First Scrimmage of Fall Camp

Purdue's first fall scrimmage is in the books, and the defense was the most impressive unit, according to coach Jeff Brohm. None of the quarterbacks have separated themselves for the starting job, but the running game has been an emphasis on offense.

Author:
D.J. Fezler
Publish date:
Aug 14, 2021 4:52 PM EDT

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — As Purdue football progresses through fall camp, the team completed its first team scrimmage Saturday.

The team will take time to evaluate the performance of each player at every position, but fifth-year Boilermaker coach Jeff Brohm discussed what stood out to him and what needs improvement. The team will be back at practice on Monday.

Here are a few takeaways from what Brohm shared after the closed scrimmage:

Defense Won the Day

With a new defensive staff and the transition to a 4-3 scheme, Purdue's defense has flashed aggressiveness and energy in camp. As the offense continues to rotate quarterbacks and work with a battered and bruised offensive line, the defense is making strides.

It's a good sign for the Boilermakers, who finished eighth in the Big Ten in both scoring and total defense.

"I wanted to make progress there, without question," Brohm said. "We did a pretty good job of stopping the run. I think we did a very good job of challenging routes. I think we had multiple interceptions, we had multiple pass breakups."

Brohm said the scrimmage featured multiple live tackling sessions, as well as situational periods that focused on third downs, the red zone and two-minute drills.

In total, the team ran at least 100 plays, and the defense executed.

"We had way less lapses of people running open downfield, so that was a very good thing," Brohm said. "So I really thought the defense stood up today, and that's encouraging too. We've got to build on that.

"We have players on that side of the ball that have experience. They've been through some hard times, as well as good times, and I think it's about gaining confidence as we continue through camp and going out there and playing loose and playing free and taking chances and going out and going for the win. So I was encouraged by what I saw at a lot of positions there."

After the Boilermakers return to practice Monday, they will prepare for a second scrimmage on Aug. 21 before classes start on Aug. 23.

Another Step Forward in the QB Competition

As of now, Brohm has not determined a clear starting quarterback ahead of Purdue's season opener on Sept. 4 at Ross-Ade Stadium. But Saturday's scrimmage is just another step in the evaluation process.

Fifth-year senior Aidan O'Connell, senior Austin Burton, junior Jack Plummer and redshirt freshman Michael Alaimo each shared repetitions and will be graded on their performances.

"I think they all had their moments and they all had some things where it wasn't as good," said Brohm. "I think it played out like what we see in practice — it's a close competition. We're able to make some plays. A key is not turning the ball over, being efficient, taking negative plays. There was progress there. I think we were able to see what we needed to and we've got to continue to have as many of these game-like situations as we possibly can."

All four signal-callers have shared repetitions throughout fall camp and will continue to do so until a starter is officially announced.

Offense Running the Ball Effectively

While the defense performed well in the scrimmage, Brohm said the offense was unable to compete at the same level.

"Offensively, we did struggle," Brohm said. "We did find a way to run the ball a little bit more, but we weren't as efficient in the passing game due to tighter coverage. A few people made some plays. That was good."

Brohm indicated that Junior wide receiver David Bell was an obvious standout in the passing game, and Marshall transfer Broc Thompson was also impressive. But Purdue has emphasized running the football this offseason, especially in short-yardage situations.

Brohm said there were some moments where the team was able to do that Saturday. Though, the running game has been a work in progress as the team's offensive lineman continue to return from injury.

The Boilermakers were also without junior running back King Doerue for the scrimmage, and they look to get more of their injured players back next week.

"I think we're gonna continue to push forward on running the football and being successful with that," said Brohm. "Figuring out ways to get yards when we need to and figuring out ways to have a little bit of creativity to manufacturer yards and figuring out a few ways to involve the quarterback. I think all those things need to happen.

"We just got to be as efficient as we can, and not get negative plays, and be able to convert short-yardage situations is critical. So, that's been an emphasis. There were some moments where we were able to do that, find a way to get the breakaway run. We haven't quite perfected that, for sure, but we just got to continue to work through it, be physical up front and get more guys ready to play."

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