BCI Summer School: Purdue Boilermakers Week

As we inch closer to the beginning of this year’s college football season, BCI is going to break down the Boston College Eagles opponents. We have already covered UMass and Wake Forest, today we start our coverage of the Purdue Boilermakers.

It was a big first year for first year Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm in 2017. He took a team that was the bottom of the barrel of the Big Ten, into a team heading in the right direction. The team went from 3-9 to 7-5 in one season, a very promising start for the new regime. They put together good wins against Minnesota, Indiana, and Iowa and had a nice win to end the season against the Arizona Wildcats in the Foster Farms Bowl in Las Vegas. They only had one really bad loss last season, losing to Rutgers.

A lot has been said about Brohm’s offensive scheme, but it was his defense that carried the team in 2017 as they allowed 18 points less per game than they did in 2016. However a ton of their talent on the defensive side graduated, and they are going to throw a bunch of untested talent out there this year. Bill Connolly of SBNation said it best “That defense got ripped apart by graduation. The Boilers are set at safety, linebacker Markus Bailey is a keeper ... and I just listed all of their known quantities.”

On the offensive side of the ball Purdue should continue to build on what they started in 2017. Senior quarterback David Blough and junior QB Elijah Sindelair were solid throwing for a combined 3300 yards along with 27 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Sindelair improved through the season as well, all while playing with a torn ACL. The QB’s have a bevy of weapons as well, including two great tight ends in Brycen Hopkins and Cole Herdman combined to catch 45 passes for 680 yards and six touchdowns, Jackson Anthrop and Jared Sparks combined for 66 catches and 645 yards, while the QB’s used their safety valves effectively.

This will be a road game and should be a great matchup for the Eagles. It could go a variety of ways, it could be a blowout if Purdue’s defense struggles like Connolly suggests. Or it could turn into a shootout if BC can’t get their defense off the field.

Later this week we will chat more about the ins and outs of Purdue football with SBNation site Hammer and Rails. Of course we will have more content as the week progresses.