The Boilermakers take to the gridiron tomorrow for a spring football exhibition…aka The Spring Game
Purdue Spring Football Game
When: Noon EST
Where: Ross-Ade Stadium
How Much?: FREE
What Channel: BTN
Format: 4 Quarters – Full Contact
Teams:
#1 Offense and #2 Defense
vs
#2 Offense and #1 Defense
What To Watch On Offense
Backup Quarterback
Quarterback is the most important position in football. It would be silly to start anywhere else. Hudson Card has the starting job sewn up after an uneven, but promising first campaign in West Lafayette. He finished the season strong and silenced any rumblings of a budding quarterback controversy.
The backup position, however, is up for grabs. Ryan Browne and Bennett Meredith both played a little last season, neither played particularly well. Browne needs to show he can pair his running ability with the decision making of a Power 5 quarterback. He has nice physical tools at 6’4”, 215, but threw two interceptions in his only action last season.
I want to see Browne get the ball out of his hands in rhythm. This isn’t high school or prep school. Tucking the ball and running isn’t always an option. I appreciate Browne wanting to make plays, but he needs to make the plays available and not force the ball into coverage late. If he can avoid bad interceptions on Saturday, it will be a good day for the redshirt-freshman out of Florida.
His main competition for the backup job should be Bennett Meredith. Meredith, out of Hoover High School in Alabama, is more of a traditional drop back passer. He wants to get the ball out quick, and did so in his limited opportunity last season, completing 7 of 11 passes for 43 yards. All-in-all not terrible work, but conservative would be an understatement in terms of Bennett’s play.
In the spring game, look for him to turn it loose and attack down the field. Browne put the ball in too much danger, but Meredith was almost too conservative. He needs to show confidence in his arm and hit some tighter windows further down the field. You’ve got to complete a lot of passes if you’re only going to average 6 yards a completion. He needs to show he can put points on the board quickly when the opportunity presents its self.
Then there is Marcos Davila. The 4* quarterback out of Texas graduated high school early in order to attend spring practice. In a perfect world, he sits back, learns the offense and competes for the starting job next season as a redshirt-freshman. The only way I see Davila playing substantial minutes is if Card goes down early with a season ending injury. In the case the freshman’s talent could put him in play for the starting job. Otherwise, this might be the last look you get of the freshman quarterback for a little while.
More than anything, I want to see Davila look comfortable with the operations. That means getting the plays called on time, fielding the snap, and delivering the ball to its prescribed location. That’s the first step in becoming a college quarterback. If Marcos shows that and a cannon arm; Purdue should be in good shape at quarterback moving forward.
Revamped Wide Receiver Group
Wide Receiver was not a strong point for Purdue last season. Ryan Walters and Graham Harrell essentially hit the reset button on the position after Deion Burks defected to Oklahoma. That’s not a bad thing. Purdue’s undersized receiving group from last season received an injection of both size and speed on the outside.
The Boilermakers added two transfers from the University of Georgia to the wide receiver in the off-season. C.J. Smith is the 6’3”, 190 outside receiver with track speed looking to stretch the field. Meanwhile De’Nylon Morrissette, at 6’1, 200 can play all 3 wide receiver positions, but should get time in the slot. He’s fast and physical and is a broken tackle away from a big play.
The offense also added UCLA receiver Kam Brown to the mix. Like Morrissette, Brown can play all 3 wide receiver positions, but is probably best suited for either the field or slot positions. The former consensus 4* receiver has not had the career he envisioned, but the son of Super Bowl MVP Larry Brown, has another season to turn his career around. He’ll have ample opportunity to win a starting job.
In addition to the two big named transfers, several young guns will be looking to force their way onto the field. Arhmand Branch is a 4* receiver out of Missouri coming off his redshirt and will be looking to make a move up the depth chart. Jaron Tibbs played in 8 games last season, and will be looking to build on his 5 receptions for 42 yards. At 6’3”, 210, he’s an intriguing down filed and redzone target for the offense.
I listed some of the potential players at the position, but there are several other talented guys on the roster looking to make their presence felt. Someone needs to establish themselves as a play-maker and Saturday would be a nice time for a young gun to put down a marker.
What to Watch on Defense
Revamped Corner Position
You didn’t see the full expression of the Ryan Walters defense last season. You saw the pass rush, but you didn’t see the sticky man coverage that goes with it. If Purdue is to outplay their low preseason predictions, the man coverage needs to emerge in year 2.
Luckily for the defensive staff, they will have significantly more talent to work with this season. First and foremost, Georgia transfer Nyland Green needs to show he can be the top cover corner his 5* high school rating indicated. At 6’1”, 185, he’ll be given every opportunity to lock up the oppositions biggest down field threat. That should free up the returning Markevious Brown to either play in the slot or line up against the field receiver. He’s a solid talent but was miscast out of necessity last season. He’ll look better with someone with Green’s talent next to him.
That’s what you need to see from Green, talent. He needs to flex his athletic muscle and show everyone that he’s a little bit different than everyone else. You know how George Karlaftis looked a little different, that’s what Purdue needs out of Green. He couldn’t fight his way to the top of a ridiculous Georgia depth chart, but has two years to show the nation Kirby Smart made a mistake in his evaluation. His redemption tour starts tomorrow.
Outside of Green, it’s a question of who steps up to win the nickle corner spot (although Brown could potentially fill the role) and who is ready to provide depth. There are a bunch of young dudes coming off a redshirt, and more help is on the way this summer. If guys like Botros Alisandro or Colorado transfer Kyndrich Breedlove want to grab a spot on the field, now would be a good time for a solid game because the overall talent at the position is significantly better than last season.
Who Comes Off The Edge?
Purdue had two of the best pass rushers in the Big 10 last season. One of them transferred to Texas A&M, the other transferred to linebacker. With starters Nic Scourton and Kydran Jenkins gone, there are two premier pass rushing spots to fill.
Boston College transfer Shitta Sillah will compete for one of the starting spots. The 6’4”, 255 pound senior out of New Jersey is hoping a move from defensive end to rush end in Purdue’s 5 man front allows him to use his speed and long arms off the edge to work over offensive tackles.
He’s joined by yet another Georgia transfer in C.J. Madden. While Sillah is more of a well rounded rush end, Madden is pure speed off the edge. The 6’4”, 230 pound edge was a 4* recruit for a reason. He’s got a burst off the edge few possess, but is relatively new to the position after playing linebacker at Georgia.
Not to be forgotten is Franklin College transfer Jireh Ojata. Unlike the two players listed above looking to shake something loose in their career, Ojata has a history of success to fall back upon. It just so happens that success came at D3 level. He has the size at 6’4, 260 to play division 1 football. If he could put up a fraction of his 17 tackles for losses he had at Franklin last season, Purdue will be in good shape off the edge.
In addition to the three transfers is hold over Will Heldt who missed a redshirt as a freshman and found himself as Purdue’s primary backup at rush end last season. He even picked up a start towards the end of last season when Scourton missed a game. Heldt knows the defense and has good length at 6’6”, 250.
Purdue has options at rush end, and the defense is set up to let them play fast. Purdue needs an alpha pass rusher and a big game from one of the transfers could set the tone heading into the fall camp. The Boilermakers had the Big 10’s sack leader last season. There is no reason why the defense can’t produce another league leader this season; I’m just not sure who it will be at this moment.
Overall
Obviously, an injury free game is at the top of my wish list. After that, I want to see Purdue play faster on offense. I know it’s trite, but he offense looked good last season when Card had the time to get the ball out and the wide receivers and running backs made plays down the field. Sometimes football is that simple.
I want to see the offense play with purpose and I want to see the new receivers and running backs with the ball in their hands. If that happens, Purdue’s offense will be significantly better than last season.
On the defensive side, it’s all about the corners giving the rush ends an extra second to get home. That’s what was missing from the equation last season and Scourton still led the Big 10 in sacks. If Purdue has that part figured out this season, quarterbacks could be in trouble.