Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1276571
6. NORTHWESTERN 2019 RECORD 4-8, 3-6 Big Ten COACH Je> Brohm (17-21 in three sea- sons at Purdue; career record: 47-31) OFFENSE Injuries torpedoed Purdue's hopes for a breakthrough season in 2019, but if anything good came of their misfor- tune, it was that they got a long look at young QBs Jack Plummer and Aidan O'Connell. Plummer, who replaced the injured (and since graduated) Elijah Sin- delar, started six games before su>ering a season-ending broken ankle, completing just under 60 percent of his attempts for 1,603 yards. O'Connell, a former walk- on, replaced Plummer and hit 62.8 per- cent of his throws for 1,101 yards. They're expected to compete with UCLA transfer Austin Burton. The receivers should be outstanding. Rondale Moore is back a@er missing most of last season with a ham- string injury, while David Bell is coming o> a debut season in which he caught 86 passes for 1,035 yards and was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. There are con- cerns elsewhere. The line is in rebuilding mode, the back=eld may need a big con- tribution from freshman Tirek Murphy, and the Boilers will miss All-Big Ten tight end Brycen Hopkins. DEFENSE Purdue has a new defensive coordinator a@er allowing 30.6 points per game last season to rank 12th in the Big Ten. He's Bob Diaco, former Con- necticut head coach and Notre Dame DC, and he's switching the Boilermakers to a 3-4 scheme. They've got some good young talent in sophomores George Kar- la@is, Cory Trice and Cam Allen. Kar- la@is, a 6-foot-4, 265-pound defensive end, won Freshman All-America honors last year a@er totaling 7.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss. Trice, a cornerback, and Allen, a free safety, showed great poten- tial in the secondary. Trice tied for the team lead with three interceptions as a freshman. Another key returnee is de- fensive tackle Lorenzo Neal. The 6-3, 315-pounder was a force on the defensive front during his =rst three seasons, but he took a medical redshirt last year while recovering from knee surgery. SPECIAL TEAMS Kicker J.D. Dellinger is one of the Big Ten's best. As a junior, he hit 13 of 16 attempts, with a long kick of 53 yards. He's also an excellent kicko> specialist, as 40 of his 59 attempts last year weren't returned. Punters Zac Collins and Brooks Cormier are also back. As for the return game, it didn't produce a lot of big plays last year, but Moore should make a di>erence. As a freshman, he returned punts and kicko>s. OUTLOOK The Boilermakers are coming o> their worst season under Brohm, a =@h-place =nish in the Big Ten West that, taken at face value, would seem to indicate that the program is on a down- ward slide. A@er winning seven games in Brohm's =rst season in West Lafayette, they won six the following year and four in 2019. That's not an encouraging trend. But last year's team was hindered by a devastating wave of injuries that is un- likely to be repeated. If there's a season, and if they can answer their questions at quarterback, the Boilermakers could re- gain some of that lost momentum. ■ TOP RETURNEES PASSING Jack Plummer 144 of 241 | 1,603 yds. | 11 TD | 8 int. RUSHING King Doerue 130 att. | 451 yds. | 5 TD RECEIVING David Bell 86 rec. | 1,035 yds. | 7 TD TACKLING Derrick Barnes 47 solo | 16 asst. | 63 total SACKS Derrick Barnes 7.5 sacks | 30 yds. George Karlaftis 7.5 sacks | 57 yds. 5. PURDUE 2019 RECORD 3-9, 1-8 Big Ten COACH Pat Fitzgerald (99-79 in 14 sea- sons at Northwestern; career record: same) OFFENSE The Wildcats made a major roster addition in May when they landed former Indiana quarterback Peyton Ramsey as a graduate transfer. Ramsey started 23 games in three sea- sons with the Hoosiers, throwing for 6,581 yards and 42 touchdowns and compiling a 66.5 percent career com- pletion rate. His arrival in Evanston couldn't be more timely. Last year, due in part to injuries, four quarterbacks combined to complete just 50 percent of their attempts for 1,404 yards, with a dismal 6-15 touchdown-interception ratio. Those numbers need to improve, and Ramsey has the credentials to make that happen. Elsewhere, the backfield features a pair of solid running backs in Isaiah Bowser and Drake Anderson, while the receiver corps boasts a num- ber of veterans, including Riley Lees, who caught 51 passes for 430 yards in 2019. DEFENSE Northwestern's defense didn't fare all that badly last year con- sidering that the o>ense's struggles cre- TOP RETURNEES PASSING Aidan Smith 86 of 171 | 760 yds. | 3 TD | 9 int. RUSHING Drake Anderson 154 att. | 634 yds. | 3 TD RECEIVING Riley Lees 51 rec. | 430 yds. | 2 TD TACKLING Blake Gallagher 47 solo | 44 asst. | 91 total SACKS Eku Leota 2.5 sacks | 13 yds. P E N N S TAT E O P P O N E N T S E P T. 5 @ B E AV E R STA D I U M , U N I V E R S I T Y PA R K , PA .