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Jacked at quarterback: Plummer wins tight competition in camp, will lead Purdue in opener
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Jack Plummer gives Purdue the best chance to win games this fall.
That was the assessment of Jeff Brohm late last week, when he announced the junior quarterback as Purdue’s starter, beating out Aidan O’Connell and Austin Burton in what the 5th-year coach called an “extremely close” training camp competition.
Plummer, who has started 9 games during his career including the last 3 last season, will take snap No. 1 vs. Oregon State on Saturday night in Ross-Ade Stadium. It’s as close to a must-win for a season-opener as can be possible, considering the circumstances. Purdue, which is riding a 4-game losing streak, is a touchdown favorite, has one of the country’s most difficult schedules and needs to get back to the postseason after a 2-year absence. If it doesn’t, fans will have a whole lot of questions for Brohm and Co. following the season.
So yes, a lot rides on Plummer. Let’s break down what Plummer brings to the table for Purdue.
Decision-making
When Brohm announced Plummer as the starter, he touted the QB’s improved decision-making as a reason why, while still leaving room for him to improve.
Plummer’s statistics through the first dozen games of his career show a quarterback who can connect with receivers, with a 64 percent completion rate and a nearly 2-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Those numbers were even better last season, when he completed 71 percent of his attempts with a 4-to-1 ratio (8 touchdowns and only 2 picks).
Yet, with Plummer, there’s been a tendency to miss opportunities too, whether that be throwing the ball a tick late — or without the necessary zip — or choosing a target that might not be the best. Those passes can still be completed, but perhaps not give a receiver a chance to gain more yardage after the catch. And that, even if it happens only a handful of times per game, can be the difference between winning and losing.
Per Brohm, Plummer has improved this offseason. If the 6-3, 220-pounder can combine his accuracy with improved timing, then it might be the elixir that helps the Boilermakers offense explode.
Dual-threat
Yes, Brohm wants a quarterback who can throw the ball accurately and extend the field.
But ideally, he wants his QB to be a threat to run it, as well. And Plummer offers the best combination of those characteristics. Yet, Plummer hasn’t always wanted to take off with the football, having only 77 rushing yards and a touchdown for his career. Last season, he had only 21 yards, with a long of 14, and the score.
Brohm says he wants Plummer running 4-6 times per game, whether those be designed QB runs or scrambles.
“We think the quarterback position has to have that threat with the ball in his hands and the defense has to honor and respect him,” Brohm told media last week. “It’s something we have to have in the arsenal on any down and distance, but definitely critical situations like around the end zones and on third downs. We have to be strategic with it.”
Leadership
When Plummer was thrust into the lineup for the first time a couple years ago, it wasn’t in the best of circumstances.
Veteran starter Elijah Sindelar had been injured, and to make matters worse, All-America wide receiver Rondale Moore was lost to an injury on the same play. And so Plummer, then only a redshirt freshman, was left to play without one of the best safety nets in the country.
Even so, Brohm wanted Plummer to take control of the Boilermakers, be more vocal, speak up in the huddle. Be the leader that the Purdue offense needed with Sindelar and Moore on the sideline. But it was tough.
Now in his 4th season in West Lafayette, the Arizona native has embraced the role.
“He without question is a great leader, he wants to win,” Brohm said. “He cares. His teammates respect him.”
However …
Plummer does need to win.
Because Purdue needs to win.
And in his 9 starts, Plummer has only 2 victories. Last season, O’Connell won 2 of his 3 starts before a foot injury sidelined him. And when Plummer took over, he lost the final 3 games of the season.
It’s not that simple, however. Purdue’s defense got progressively worse as the season extended, putting Plummer in increasingly difficult positions.
But at Purdue, like many other programs, the Boilermakers win and lose with their quarterback. And for Plummer and Purdue, the time to win is right now.
Kyle Charters, a familiar face at Gold & Black, covers Purdue, Indiana and college basketball for Saturday Tradition.