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Both Jack Plummer and Aidan O’Connell can win football games for Purdue.
That’s not the question. The question for Jeff Brohm is this: Which of the 2 veteran quarterbacks is the best man for the job right now as Purdue prepares to face Minnesota on Saturday. And the answer is clear, Brohm must — and likely will — turn to O’Connell, the backup QB for the Boilermakers’ first 4 games — but also the reliever who came in and saved them with a late touchdown drive in an offensively-challenged 13-9 win over Illinois last weekend.
Is O’Connell a better quarterback than Plummer? That’s debatable, and probably doesn’t have a clear answer. But it’s also immaterial. Purdue’s objective is to beat Minnesota, its opponent for Homecoming, thus getting to its bye week with a 4-1 record. After, it can try to take advantage of extra days to rehab a roster that is running low on its stock of Band-Aids.
Monday, Brohm said he’ll announce the starter internally on Tuesday. It’s unlikely the public will know, at least officially, until about an hour before Saturday’s noon kickoff.
But O’Connell should be the man under center.
The senior is right for right now. Why? O’Connell has injected life into an otherwise stagnant Purdue offense the last 2 weeks. And despite a stretch in which 4 consecutive drives ended in his interceptions — 2 in the loss at Notre Dame and his first 2 opportunities against Illinois — he’s moved the football. Although he threw those consecutive picks against the Fighting Illini, the first an ugly one in the end zone and the second a deflection by his tight end, O’Connell recovered to lead Purdue’s final touchdown drive.
In his 3 seasons bouncing on and off the field as Purdue’s QB1, O’Connell has shown an unwavering ability to shake off the bad and move on quickly. It’s a reason why he’s directed the Boilermakers to 4 come-from-behind victories, a Purdue record, during his tenure, twice as a starter and now twice after coming off the sideline.
O’Connell’s willingness to push the football down the field — in some cases, the results be damned — is what the Boilermakers need right now. On the game-winning drive, O’Connell completed passes of 18, 17, 27, 3 and 14 yards, the last being the touchdown. His first completion of the day, before his drive-ending interception in the end zone, was a 43-yarder.
Plummer can have the same kind of production, but it’s not happening right now. Whatever the reason, maybe his own conservative nature, perhaps indecisiveness, maybe play-calling, Plummer is settling too frequently for higher-percentage throws, rather than many intermediate or deep chances. The results at times have been good — 7 touchdowns and no interceptions, although 6 of the scores came in the first 2 games — but at times bad, as well. In Plummer’s past 2 games, the offense has largely been stuck in neutral. In his last 18 drives, Purdue has a touchdown, 4 field goals, 11 punts, a turnover on downs and halftime. After back-to-back field goals to start the game vs. Illinois, the next 5 drives ended with punts.
That’s not all on Plummer (obviously). The Boilermakers are without likely All-America wide receiver David Bell (concussion), their top 2 running backs in Zander Horvath (leg) and King Doerue (undisclosed illness; not COVID), and top tight end and Plummer safety net Payne Durham (concussion).
But if Purdue can’t run the ball — and Purdue can’t run the ball, particularly while playing a walk-on transfer and a true freshman in place of Horvath and Doerue — then its best bet is to simply try to sling the ball around the yard. Like, all day. Like 60 times a game. And with Purdue needing that kind of offense right now, it needs to turn to O’Connell, the guy who wants to drop back and sling it.
Kyle Charters, a familiar face at Gold & Black, covers Purdue, Indiana and college basketball for Saturday Tradition.