Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1472993
8 4 A U G U S T 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Perhaps the most telling moment of Purdue's offseason was when the uni- versity's board of trustees announced in April that it had extended head coach Jeff Brohm's contract through the 2027 season. The Boilermakers' coaches haven't always been hot commodities, as evi- denced by the team's 9-39 overall record in the four seasons prior to Brohm's hir- ing. But the former Louisville quarter- back has given Purdue's program new life since arriving in 2017 from Western Kentucky. He's gone 28-29 in his five seasons, including a 9-4 record last year with a 48-45 win over Tennessee in the Music City Bowl. "We're excited about the progress we've made over the past five years," Brohm said after receiving the exten- sion, which was accompanied by an announcement that the university had approved a $45.4 million project to ren- ovate Ross-Ade Stadium. "We look for- ward to continuing to build our program in the future." That future begins with a season- opening visit from Penn State, an op- ponent that Purdue hasn't beaten since 2004. The Boilermakers' hopes of end- ing a nine-game losing streak against PSU will likely ride on the arm of senior quarterback Aidan O'Connell. A year ago, O'Connell ranked second in the Big Ten in completion percent- age (71.8), touchdown passes (28) and average passing yards per game (309.3). His 3,711 yards passing constituted the league's third-highest total. One concern heading into the new season is that nearly 30 percent of O'Connell's completions were to a re- ceiver who has since departed. David Bell is off to the NFL after catching 93 passes for 1,286 yards in his final year in West Lafayette, and it's unclear how the Boilers are going to fill that void. Milton Wright, the team's top return- ing wideout, was ruled academically in- eligible in May, and a number of other wideouts were absent this spring due to injuries. The transfer portal has brought a pair of Power Five transfers in Tyrone Tracy, formerly of Iowa, and Elijah Can- ion, formerly of Auburn, and they will have to make an early impact. Even if they're able to make up for Bell's exit, the Boilers will be looking to field a more balanced attack this year after ranking last in the Big Ten in rush- ing offense in 2021 with averages of 84.2 yards per game and 2.8 per carry. Purdue has some holes to fill on defense, too, with All-America end George Karlaftis moving on to the NFL as a first-round pick by Kansas City. Even with Karlaftis playing in all but one game, the Boilers finished ninth in the Big Ten in sacks with 26 last year. They'll need redshirt sophomore de- fensive end Kydran Jenkins to build on a freshman season in which he had 5 sacks and 8 tackles for loss. — Matt Herb S E P T . 1 | 8 P. M . | F O X | R O S S - A D E S T A D I U M | W E S T L A F A Y E T T E , I N D . Senior quarterback Aidan O'Connell completed 71.8 per- cent of his passing attempts in leading Purdue to a 9-4 record last season. PHOTO COURTESY PURDUE ATHLETICS WEEK 1 PURDUE 2022 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2021 Result Sept. 1 Penn State — Sept. 10 Indiana State — Sept. 17 at Syracuse — Sept. 24 Florida Atlantic — Oct. 1 at Minnesota L, 20-13 Oct. 8 at Maryland — Oct. 15 Nebraska W, 28-23 Oct. 22 at Wisconsin L, 30-13 Nov. 5 Iowa W, 24-7 Nov. 12 at Illinois W, 13-9 Nov. 19 Northwestern W, 32-14 Nov. 26 at Indiana W, 44-7 WHAT COULD GO RIGHT If Purdue can get past visiting Penn State in its opener, the rest of the nonconference slate looks manageable. The Boilermakers could head into their Oct. 1 matchup against Minnesota unbeaten, and a victory over the Gophers would vault them into West Divi- sion title contention. WHAT COULD GO WRONG If the running game doesn't improve, the Boilermakers likely won't be able to afford any sort of dip in the productivity of the passing attack. A year ago, they won three games by five points or fewer. This may be a program on the rise, but it doesn't have a big margin for error. QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Penn State leads 15-3-1 Last Meeting: The visiting Lions defeated Purdue 35-7 on Oct. 5, 2019 Head Coach: Jeff Brohm (28-29 in five seasons at Purdue; career coaching record: 58-39) 2021 Record: 9-4, 6-3 Big Ten Returning Starters: 17 (7 offense, 8 de- fense, 2 specialists) RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: RB King Doerue (533 yards, 2 TDs) Passing: QB Aidan O'Connell (3,712 yards, 28 TDs) Receiving: TE Payne Durham (467 yards, 6 TDs) Tackles: LB Kieren Douglas (67) Sacks: DE Kydran Jenkins (5) Interceptions: S Kam Allen (4)