Getting Wins With 3 Different QBs Hard To Do
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — If there’s one thing Jeff Brohm is known for, it’s recruiting quarterbacks.
Brohm has proven that, and then some, in his third season as Purdue’s head coach.
This fall, Brohm has done something unheard of, and something that very rarely happens in any level of football. His Boilermakers have won games with three different starting quarterbacks this season, something no other school in the country has done this year. And all three quarterbacks have shown flashes of greatness.
“Coach Brohm does a good job of recruiting quarterbacks, so every quarterback that comes in, we expect them to be pretty good,” Purdue wide receiver Amad Anderson Jr. said recently.
Losing quarterbacks usually wrecks a season for a team. Just ask Northwestern, the defending Big Ten West champions. They have had to play three quarterbacks all year because of injuries, and the Wildcats are 1-8 and still haven't won a Big Ten game.
Not Purdue. They've had three starters — and they all have won at least one game.
Purdue started the season with fifth-year senior Elijah Sindelar at the helm and had high hopes for what this offense could with him as its leader. Through the first two games, he showed the country why, throwing for 932 yards and nine touchdowns — both of which led the NCAA at the time.
Sindelar’s dominance was short-lived though, after he suffered a concussion in the second game against Vanderbilt that forced him to miss Purdue’s third and final nonconference game against TCU on Sept. 14. After a bye week, he was able to return the following game, Purdue’s Big Ten opener against Minnesota.
But things only got worse from there. On Purdue’s third drive of the game, Sindelar rolled to his left and was sacked. On the tackle, Sindelar landed awkwardly on his left shoulder and was forced to leave the game with a broken collarbone. (Purdue's best player, wide receiver Rondale Moore, was injured on the same play and has been out ever since.)
Sindelar's replacement was redshirt freshman Jack Plummer, who started the previous game against TCU when Sindelar was sidelined due to the concussion.
Plummer took over the starting job from there, finishing out the game and then starting the next five games. Including the TCU game, with him under center Purdue went 2-4 as as starter, beating Maryland and Nebraska. On his season, Plummer racked up 1,603 yards, 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Another facet of his game was his ability to create plays with his feet. This was something Brohm wanted to see more of from Plummer, and it finally began to show during Plummer’s final start, where he added 61 yards on the ground.
His top moment came in the team’s first Big Ten win, a 40-14 win over Maryland. He completed 33 of 41 passes for 420 yards and three touchdowns. The performance earned him Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.
“Jack’s very smart, very cerebral, if anything he’s got some David Blaugh in him,” Brohm said prior to Plummer’s first career start. “I think he’s got a very bright future here.”
West Lafayette, IN, USA; Purdue Boilermakers quarterback Jack Plummer (13) is pursued by Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive lineman Ben Stiller (95) in the first half at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
Just like Sindelar though, Plummer’s season ended early. Near the end of the Nebraska game on Nov. 2, Plummer scrambled up the middle. On the tackle, he suffered a broken ankle that required surgery, ending his freshman season.
His replacement and Purdue quarterback No. 3 was walk-on Aidan O’Connell. He may not have the arm of Sindelar or the legs of Plummer, but in just two games, he has shown his ability to be clutch. After replacing Plummer, he led Purdue on a game-winning drive to beat Nebraska. The following week, in his first-career start, he orchestrated a similar drive to set up J.D Dellinger for a game-winning field goal.
With the win, O’Connell became the third starting quarterback to win a game for Purdue this season, and became the first walk-on in school history to win a game.
“He hung in there that last drive,” Brohm said after Purdue’s win over Northwestern. “For somebody who hasn’t started a game to come in there again and take us down the field, that’s just a credit to him. He’s worked extremely hard since he’s got here.”
Evanston, IL, USA; Purdue Boilermakers quarterback Aidan O'Connell (16) passes against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first quarter at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
One can throw the ball all over the field, one can create plays with his legs, and one is just straight up clutch. For Purdue’s offense, it doesn’t really matter which one has been calling the shot. They all just go out there and play.
“Next man up mentality. We talk about it all the time, so the next guy just steps up. It is what it is,” Anderson Jr. said. “It’s kind of hard switching quarterbacks, but I like being a team player. I always converse with everybody, so the bonds are already there.”
Even in a 4-6 season riddled by injuries, there have been many bright spots for this Purdue team, and the depth at quarterback is one of them.
It may not have been what Purdue expected at that position this year, but they now know what they’ve got for the future. With Sindelar’s career likely over, It will be Plummer and O’Connell more than likely leading the charge going forward, and Purdue has now gotten a taste of what that future might hold.
