After another last-second field goal brought heartbreak to the Wolfpack out in Reno last week, the Boilers are ready to move forward. Saturday they open their home slate against Vanderbilt who is also coming off a loss in week 1, theirs coming at the hands of Georgia.
Looking at the big positive from week 1 for Purdue was tallying the 5th best passing offense in the league. However, two 2nd half interceptions by Elijah Sindelar factored greatly into the loss. The picks came on two throws head coach Jeff Brohm say never should have left Sindelar’s hand.
“I think Elijah played extremely well unlit late in the game. Of course, the turnovers are what killed us. Two throws he just shouldn’t make.” explained Brohm. “Third-and-10, escaping the pocket, you have to go underneath, trying to move the chains, see if we can pick up some positive yardage to have a possible chance at a field goal.”
“The disappointing thing is he did a lot of really good things, but the two interceptions were really bad decisions. Those things can’t happen.”
Ball security has been an issue with Sindelar, especially early in the season, tallying 5 in the last two season openers. Moving past that, however, is a near nonexistent running game, and a defense that struggled mightily to stop Nevada in the 2nd half last week.
Maybe we can chalk it up to first game jitters or the long distance traveled. Excuses stop this weekend though. Purdue has a chance to generate more excitement in the fan base with back to back marquee esq. non-conference matchups. After Vandy, the Horned Frogs of TCU come to Ross-Ade the 14th and currently sit 27th in the AP Poll.
However, let’s take it one week at a time and look at how the Commodores stack up against the Boilers. Take into account that Vandy’s numbers come in with their lone game having been against 3rd ranked Georgia in a 30-6 loss.
Going up against one of the nation’s top defenses, Vandy struggled mightily in the offensive side of the ball. They only mustered up 109 passing yards and 116 yards on the ground, totaling up to 225 yards and sitting 119th in the country in total offense. Defensively the Commodores sit 109th in the country while the Boilers are 80th, with both teams allowing over 400 yards of offense to the opposition.
A lot of Purdue’s issues on the defensive side of the ball started after a turnover with the Boilers leading 31-14. Then in the fourth quarter, Purdue didn’t make a single stop on the defensive side of the ball, something that coach Brohm spoke heavily on during the week reiterating his disappointment in that area.
“Really not to get a stop in the last three possessions, they had the ball, they scored points, was very disappointing to see. There’s a lot of work to be done. We have to fix the mistakes we made and be men about it. As coaches, with myself on down, we’ve got to coach better and make sure that we can get our guys to play efficient, hard-nosed football the entire game.”
Purdue gets their chance at redemption with a noon kickoff at Ross-Ade Stadium against Vanderbilt from the SEC, just their 3rd time playing the commodores. Vandy took both wins in the previous matchups, however, that was back in 1941 and 42. A swift rebound would bode well for the Boilers, in the same breath though, a second loss could be a telling sign of a slip down the mountain in 2019.
Written by Adrian Beecher
