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Less than 2 weeks until opening the season against Iowa, Purdue still has a 3-man QB race
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We’re less than two weeks away from the B1G season getting underway, but Purdue still hasn’t made a decision on who will be the starting quarterback to open the 2020 campaign.
It’s a three-man battle in West Lafayette, with Jack Plummer, Aidan O’Connell and Austin Burton all competing for the No. 1 spot on the depth chart. According to Gold and Black Illustrated’s Tom Dienhart, head coach Jeff Brohm says Plummer and O’Connell are the slight frontrunners at the moment, simply because of time spent with the program.
“Aidan, Jack definitely are battling for the No. 1 spot,” said Brohm. “Austin Burton is right there on their hip, just hasn’t been here as long as they (have). So, you know, we feel confident once again that three guys should be ready to play. We’ve got to decide which one to go with. But all three are very capable. They’ve done a very good job at this point, and of course the others behind them are getting better.”
Last season, Purdue started the year with Elijah Sindelar under center, but an early-season injury put Plummer into the starting role. Later in the year, Plummer sustained an injury and O’Connell took over responsibilities under center.
Because everything is still in flux, Brohm said he’s still open to playing multiple quarterbacks this year.
“We probably are still open to that, “ said Brohm. “I think that, you know, that’s not what we’re shooting to do,. But at the same time, we’ve got to be smart. In certain situations, maybe we’ll use one or two of them, and then we’ll see how the course of the game goes. I think all of them are going to be in the bullpen ready to go. Not that we ever want to have a quick pull. But at the same time, all three guys can play.”
Purdue opens the season on Oct. 24 against Iowa.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB