Purdue’s head coach is Jeff Brohm, but he was not on the sideline Saturday for his team’s home opener at Ross-Ade Stadium against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Brohm tested positive for Covid-19 and, as a result of the Big Ten’s strict protocols, was forced to stay home and out of contact completely with his squad.

Brohm’s brother, Brian, who is the team’s quarterback coach and co-offensive coordinator, took over leadership duties in the interim. He acquitted himself well enough to get the Boilermakers a victory. 

If head coaches are a mess of nerves and barely-contained energy on the sideline during games, it is hard to imagine what they must be like at home watching their team play with no one to yell at or set straight. According to brother Brian, the head man was in a certain state all afternoon as his team went down, then came back and won in the final minutes. 

Brohm was allowed to communicate with his team up to 90 minutes before the game but all contact was cut off then until after the game. Brohm apparently waited out those hours in agony, which is no surprise. So long as Brohm continues to test negative for Covid-19, he’ll be allowed back with his team after 10 days.