It's alive! Purdue offense quells doubts, looks to build on breakout
There were 49 points, 604 total yards and seven TDs. All season-high totals in last Saturday’s win vs. Minnesota. Where has this offensive production been all season for Purdue?
“That’s a loaded question, right?” said Ryan Walters. “I think there are a multitude of reasons, not really excuses, but reasons why we haven’t been able to consistently perform the way we have or the way we did on Saturday.”
It’s not a simple answer for OC Graham Harrell’s attack.
“You got a new scheme, you got new faces, coupled with injuries throughout the season and coupled with the type of opponents we’ve played,” said Walters.
Against that backdrop, Purdue also has had to navigate one of the most difficult schedules in the nation. How tough? Not one team the Boilermakers (3-7 overall; 2-5 Big Ten) have played thus far has a losing record. And this week’s foe–Northwestern–will come in with a 5-5 mark.
“So, the combination of those things throughout the course of the year and those things happening at different times, it’s hard to be consistent and it’s hard to improve when you don’t have those consistencies throughout the week, week to week, to improve,” said Walters
Purdue put it all together vs. the Golden Gophers. A big key: QB Hudson Card.
“Hudson being healthy and being able to utilize his legs, his improvisational skills, and then also having the same guys up front communicating with each other,” said Walters.
Card enjoyed perhaps his best all-around game last week, completing 17-of-25 passes (68 percent) for 251 yards with three TD passes and no interceptions. And Card did a nice job moving in the pocket and also executing designed runs (44 yards rushing with a TD).
Factor in a healthy running back tandem of Tyrone Tracy and Devin Mockobee, TE Garrett Miller rounding into form after a 2022 knee injury and consistency with the wideout group, and it was a recipe for success for the Boilermakers.
“It’s all those things that kind of factor into being able to go perform and execute, right?” said Walters.
A much-maligned line stepped up, too, with the top three tackles out with injury: Marcus Mbow, Mahamane Moussa and Daniel Johnson. That forced Ben Farrell (an NAIA transfer) and Josh Kaltenberger (normally a guard/center) to start at tackle.
“We’ve battled adversity through injuries, and like I said after the game, just playing musical chairs with who is at what position,” said Walters. “Those guys’ attention to detail and willingness to learn and put time and effort into multiple positions, to be able to communicate different looks based on what’s called, they played really clean in the run game, and as a result we were able to get those short-yardage first downs and run for 353 (yards). That’s a big deal.”
Walters never lost faith when the offense failed to score more than 14 points in a game in the four contests proceeding the Minnesota victory.
“I always believed in the plan schematically week to week, and I just think we were able to execute that plan on Saturday. As a result, you know, sort of looked like we all believed it to look and really looked like in practice.”
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