Purdue Notebook: Questionable decisions hurt Purdue
Purdue showed that it could hang with the big boys of the Big Ten during Saturday's 26-20 loss to No. 23 Iowa.
Here are some takeaways from Purdue coach Jeff Brohm’s postgame press conference.
Questionable onside kick
After a field goal to bring Purdue within one score - 19-13 - with 2:59 remaining in the game, Brohm elected to try an onside kick. Purdue had all three timeouts remaining, so kicking the ball deep was just as viable of an option. The onside kick ended up failing, leaving the Boilermakers in a nearly impossible position to win.
It was a questionable call for Brohm to attempt an onside kick in that situation. His defense had been playing well all day, and was doing a good job of limiting the Iowa rushing attack. In hindsight, giving that defense a chance to get the ball back may have been the better option.
Here’s what Brohm had to say in his postgame press conference:
“Before we’ve kicked it deep and we’ve never gotten the ball back, so we wanted to at least give ourselves a chance to possibly get the ball,” Brohm said. “If you stop them there, their still going to have to punt, you’ll just have to drive it farther. Unfortunately they took it and scored in three plays.”
Plummer trying to do too much
According to Brohm, starting quarterback Jack Plummer was trying to do too much at times today. Instead of taking the positive yards running the ball, he was scrambling around for too long, and then forcing passes downfield. That could be seen in his interception on a tough pass to wide receiver David Bell. Plummer had room to run, but instead tried to force a pass in double coverage and under threw it right into the arms of an Iowa defender.
As just a redshirt freshman who wasn’t expected to play much this year, Plummer has been asked to do a lot. He has been up-and-down this season, and that was the case in Saturday’s game. He orchestrated a few good drives, but also had some costly mistakes.
“I think early on he might have been trying to make too many plays throwing, and he had some lanes to run. I think he just has to make sure he stays smart,” Brohm said. “Sometimes he tries to do too much and I think that’s what happened.”
David Bell’s performance
Coming off of winning the Big Ten Freshman of the Week award, David Bell had another outstanding performance for Purdue. He finished the day with 197 yards and a touchdown. With the 197 yards, Bell contributed more than half of Purdue’s total yards, which was just 360. With Rondale Moore out once again, Bell stepped up for an offense that needs him in order to do well. Brohm recognized how important Bell is to this team and how key it is that he continues playing well.
“David reminds me of a young Jerry Rice for the fact that everything is smooth. He doesn’t look like he’s going to make the spectacular play, but he always makes the play,” Brohm said. “He’s just a steady, consistent competitor. We’re glad he’s on our team and it was great to see him stand out again.”
