Express Word: ND, QB play and much more

Gold and Black Express’ Weekly Word is the Gold and Black Express weekly opinion column, written by Brian Neubert. In today’s edition, we discuss Purdue football’s public face, basketball and more.

ON PURDUE AND NOTRE DAME

Purdue visits Notre Dame on Saturday for the second in a string of five games in as many seasons, an extension to the rivalry that has aligned with a downturn for Purdue and an upswing for the Irish, the generations-long series reaching its historic pit for Purdue last season in the game that destroyed its season. And, by extension, a coaching regime.

As much as I think Purdue would benefit long-term from scheduling 3-0 starts every year from here on out, I do also that if any of the decision-makers who’ll follow these current decision-makers have an opportunity to continue the series down the line, do it.

For one thing, the goal is to be a competitive program at a high level and if you’re just assuming you’re not going to be good enough for games like these, that may be the pragmatic approach, but also a bit defeatist. You never know. College football is funny and Purdue did turn the tables on the Irish there for a while amidst their three straight bad hires. There aren’t many greater highs around these parts than football beating Notre Dame, and moments matter. They’re as much the historical record as any result.

There’s also probably never going to be a day where the national spotlight that comes with these games isn’t of value to Purdue.

I have no idea if Notre Dame wants Purdue on its schedule in 2050, provided mankind isn’t ruled by Terminators by then, but if they’re game, Purdue ought to be, too.

ON RYAN BROWNE AND THE PURDUE OFFENSE

As long as Purdue stays healthy, it’s offense should keep getting better as Ryan Browne gets more and more experience. His experience at Purdue last year doesn’t matter and he wasn’t here in the spring, meaning he’s basically been in this system with this staff since training camp. In effect he’s a freshman.

They’re asking a ton from him from a decision-making perspective in the RPO and read-option components to this offense, which thus far has basically been the identity of the offense. It takes experience.

This stuff is hard, same as it’s hard for a point guard to make the right reads in basketball in ball-screen offense. Purdue just happens to have a savant doing that. For the overwhelming majority, it takes experience and support, tons of film, tons of reps and many games. Purdue’s leaving yards on the field right now but once some of that unrealized productivity starts being realized, you’ll start seeing more of what Browne can do for Purdue.

ON THE BIG TEN BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

A demon Purdue’s elite basketball team will want to exorcise this season should be that Big Ten road opener in December, the game the Boilermakers seem to lose every year to an inferior opponent. I expect that game this season to be at Rutgers. (Quick: Name a Rutgers player.)

Purdue’s players and coaches may not think all that much about that footnote, but this is going to be a season where maturity and professionalism are tested and Purdue is again court-storm fodder.

It’ll get teams’ best efforts on the road — sometimes something less from the officials — and will need to be ready to handle it.

That team two seasons ago was RoboCop, a soul-less, unfeeling machine that never wavered, never took moments to be impressed with itself, that never took its eyes off the prize. Even that team lost that December conference opener, albeit in pro-wrestling fashion at Northwestern, but a loss nonetheless.

You never put too much on one game, but that quick turn from elite non-conference schedule to life on the road in the Big Ten as the pig at the luau has been hard on Purdue.

It’ll be time to put a stop to it.