Purdue dodges a bullet

Purdue hasn’t really been that good this season. They have a high profile win against Ohio State, and are .500 and bowl eligible for the second time. This has happened in large part because of the emergence of David Blough at quarterback and Rondale Moore, the exciting and talented freshman playmaker Still, they have lost as much as they’ve won, including an early season loss to Eastern Michigan, and a mugging by Minnesota.

Purdue went 3-0 against ranked opponents this year, which sounds great. They went 3-6 against unranked opponents this year, which sounds pretty terrible. And that’s what you get. A streaky, up and down season that was neither really good nor really bad. If you caught Purdue at the right time, which most people seem to have, they seem like a phenomenal, feel good story. Most Purdue fans are fairly disappointed with how it turned out. They beat the #2 team in the country, and will likely only end up with a trip to Detroit.

Heading into the mid of the college coaching silly season, Purdue was in the worst spot they could be in. They have a coach who has started turning things around, but a team that really isn’t over the hump yet. They have some attention grabbing wins but a whole lot of flaws elsewhere in the organization. Jeff Brohm, the head coach is now getting attention as a candidate for other roles, but would leave behind a reclamation process that has barely started.

Purdue got too good too fast. There is no structure, only a couple of elevating talents in Blough and Moore that could help carry the team to high scoring victories. When they have been off, Purdue has lost, because the depth just isn't there yet. Blough won’t be back next year, but Brohm’s presence would ensure the continued development of the team’s depth and young talent. Without Blough, the team will likely return to Elijah Sindelaar at quarterback. Without Brohm, the team would likely lose the recruits he has worked so hard to sign, and any hope of future depth.

Fortunately, earlier this week, Brohm confirmed that he would be returning to West Lafayette, turning down an opportunity to return to his alma mater in Louisville. That would have been crippling to the program, if it had been revealed that not only was Purdue not a fully assembled program, but the head coaching job was viewed as a stepping stone to greener pastures. At Louisville  no less. 

A team in the Big Ten needs talent, continuity and respect in order to be able to compete. Jeff Brohm's decision to remain in West Lafayette lend Purdue a chance at all three. The Purdue Boilermakers have a future.