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Analysis ($): Vs.: Long-term backup, Sparks or Sipe?

The last two games, Elijah Sindelar wasn't entirely sure if he'd play any snaps at all for Purdue.

David Blough had been named the starter and went start-to-finish against Nebraska, the first time Jeff Brohm had made that decision with his quarterbacks all season, and Blough was the starter against Illinois last Saturday and appeared primed to go a full game again.

But then Blough's right foot got stuck in the ground and bent awkwardly, dislocating his ankle, an injury that required surgery on Tuesday. And Sindelar was immediately inserted back into the fray, in the fourth quarter of a tight game.

He promptly threw a touchdown pass and completed his only other pass attempt of the game later — a 29-yarder down the right sideline on a pretty touch pass — as the Boilermakers dispatched the Illini, 29-10.

Now, Sindelar enters a game with a rare benefit: Knowing he'll be the starter, knowing he'll get the bulk of the snaps — save for the occasional Jared Sparks-run Wildcat package — and knowing he won't have to look over his shoulder.

"I feel great. I’m not nervous. I’m not worried. I’ve been in the position before. Now, it’s just go play football," Sindelar said after Tuesday's practice. "I’m excited for the opportunity. Really sad about David. What a sad situation, but I do know that God was not surprised by this and He is in control of the whole situation and He has a plan. We’re just going to patiently wait to see what happens. But I have no doubt David will make a full recovery and be back on it and competing with us again.

"I would have liked to have won the job in a different manner. Not with David getting hurt. That breaks my heart. But I still have to be able to do my job and lead this team. And, at the end of the day, give glory to God and help David. Because if I perform well, David is going to be proud as well. So going to play for him, as well."

When asked to describe his emotions about his individual season up to this point, Sindelar said it had been "tough."

Part of that was because of the game-in and game-out uncertainty. It seemed rare the quarterbacks knew what the rotation would be, other than who would start the game, and Sindelar struggled to come to grips with it. He said he's leaned on his faith, relying on trusting in God's plan and trying to stay patient, even when patience was not the prevailing emotion.

Sindelar also can — and will — draw from the considerable on-field experience he's gained this season as a third-year sophomore.

Last year, he essentially was thrown to the wolves in mop-up duty and rarely had a chance to test his skill set against legitimate defenses. That changed quickly this season when he played against Michigan and, later, got all but three snaps against Wisconsin in Madison. That latter experience will be helpful now, Sindelar said, because it was one that forced him to stay in the right mindset throughout the game and firmly focused on the plan. Not being ready to start and then sit and then get geared up again for the second half.

"With Wisconsin, I had it the whole game, so I know I can do it. That just gives me confidence moving forward," he said.

Sindelar has been anything but idle since that considerable experience Oct. 14. After Blough finished the next game at Rutgers and then was named the starter, Sindelar got to work at developing his game. (He also suggested to Brohm that he be used as a tight end in a "package," but that was quickly shot down.)

Among those improvements: Working on touch passes.

"Sometimes I feel like I throw a little too hard, especially with routes that come back toward me, like a curl or something," said Sindelar, a former pitcher who can hit the 90s. "If I throw it the same speed, it comes a lot faster when they’re moving toward me and the ball is coming. When David was (No.) 1, I thought, ‘You know what? This is a great time for me to work on touch passes, getting it over linebackers and trying to make sure I give my receivers balls they can catch and not just hit them in the hands and have them drop it.' Because a lot of those are on me. I mean, I throw pretty hard. Just being able these past couple weeks to throw touch and see that completion percentage in practice is becoming a lot better is going to help us moving forward."

So will Sindelar's poise and experience.

There's little doubt about that.

"I definitely do feel like he’s ready," running back D.J. Knox said. " That was smart on Coach Brohm’s behalf, playing both of the guys and making sure they’re both ready because anything happens in college football. I’m sorry for what happened to David. He’s a real close friend of mine. I went and saw him after the whole thing.

"But Elijah is just going to have to come in and do his job, and we’re going to be right behind him 100 percent."

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