Purdue Football: Injury Forces Quarterback Change Once Again
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — For the second time this season, Purdue will have to start a new quarterback for the foreseeable future.
Purdue coach Jeff Brohm confirmed Monday that starting quarterback Jack Plummer will miss the remainder of the season with a broken ankle suffered in the fourth quarter of Saturday's 31-27 victory over Nebraska. Original starter Elijah Singular was injured in September.
Aidan O’Connell, who finished out that game and led the Boilermakers on a game-winning drive, will be Purdue’s new starter going forward.
O’Connell, who started the season as a walk-on, has seen action in the previous two games, but Saturday's game against Northwestern (Noon ET, TV: BTN) will be his first career start. O’Connell has proven his ability to contribute, leading the offense on its lone score against Illinois, and then the game-winning score against Nebraska.
“Aidan is a great young man, works extremely hard, and came here and earned everything he’s got,” Brohm said. “He’s a great teammate and his players love him. He’s really improved and he’s taken great strides.”
With O’Connell under center, Brohm expects the playbook and offense to look a little different. Unlike Plummer, O’Connell doesn’t pose as much of a threat to run with the ball, which is something Brohm had been trying to key on and finally found success doing so against Nebraska. Instead, O’Connell’s strengths lie in his ability to sit in the pocket and make accurate throws.
“He’s a guy that can execute the offense. He’s an accurate passer that has good fundamentals, technique and form,” Brohm said. “He’s a guy that has worked hard to perfect his craft and throwing mechanics. We’ve got to do what he does best, so it’ll be an adjustment.”
Purdue won’t just be altering the playbook because of O’Connell, though. With the Boilermakers now on to their third quarterback, it will be about protecting that position as well.
“I think we’re at a point where we can’t lose another one, so we do want to somewhat protect him to a certain degree,” Brohm said.
If O’Connell was to go down, Purdue would have to resort to freshman Paul Piferi or Danny Carollo, each of who have yet to see playing time this season.
