The season’s not gone as David Blough expected.
The junior quarterback has come off the bench, then started — and then repeated the cycle — all while he’s battled through a couple shoulder injuries. He’s had success at times, but struggled at others, not finding the rhythm he’s wanted, and not getting Purdue’s offense to where he wants it to be.
But on Saturday, he at least felt like he could settle into a role a bit more, playing from start to finish for the Boilermakers in Purdue’s 25-24 loss to Nebraska. It’s the first time this season — and first time in Jeff Brohm’s short tenure at Purdue — that a QB has gone wire-to-wire.
“For us, David gives us a little more mobility and an ability to possibly create because I don’t think we can execute as good as we need to,” Coach Jeff Brohm said after the game, explaining why he chose to go with Blough. “I think Elijah (Sindelar) is a guy who needs the guys around him to perform well to do well. So David fought hard. I think our guys played hard.”
Especially in recent weeks, Purdue has labored to find the right formula at quarterback, with Blough and Sindelar each playing but perhaps not as successfully as needed. Blough, who has now started four games this season, the same as Sindelar, who had gotten the call last two, had his moments. He finished 16-of-28 for 164 yards and a touchdown, plus he rushed for 33 more yards and a score.
It’s that ability to make things happen in the run game — and maybe turn nothing into something passing, too — that gave him the nod this week. But Blough says he prepared the same.
“Coach Brohm did a good job of preparing everybody in our room to be ready,” Blough said. “I had a good week of practice, but it was the same week of practice we’ve had all eight weeks. Elijah was ready. Whatever decision they make, go ahead and roll with it. It felt good to play the whole game. It doesn’t feel good to not help us pull that one out.”
Injury forces Hunte out
Purdue lost cornerback Da’Wan Hunte to a hip flexor at halftime.
And it was costly.
The Boilermakers subbed in backup Kamal Hardy, a senior who has played only sparingly since arriving as a J.C. transfer in the spring of ’16. It left Purdue without one of its best defensive players, a captain and cornerback who has been extremely reliable this season.
The Cornhuskers took advantage of Hunte’s absence, noticing that Hardy was on the field instead.
“It probably wasn’t his best game by any means,” Brohm said. “I think they tried to throw that way a little bit. He hung in there, just had some plays made against him. I think he’ll bounce back and work hard. He’s going to play for us.”
Purdue also played without linebacker T.J. McCollum, left tackle Grant Hermanns and tight end Cole Herdman, as expected.
Full steam ahead
After having 279 yards on the ground against Rutgers, Purdue’s running game again produced vs. Nebraska.
The Boilermakers picked up 199 yards on 38 carries, averaging 5.2 yards per attempt. Richie Worship had 89 yards and a touchdown, while D.J. Knox had 66 on only nine carries. Blough added his 33.
“Those are the guys on our team who are the strength of our football team right now,” Brohm said, referring to the running backs. “We’re going to have to feed them the ball and to them run and be physical, pound our way to get certain yards and mix in the passing game off of it.
“Richie and D.J. and rally the whole stable of running backs are going to have to continue to carry the load for us. We’re going to have to find maybe some different ways to run it and be creative with it so that maybe we can continue to make yards running the football.”
It was a career day for Worship, who ran with authority against the Huskers.
“I feel like that’s what I’m known for, it’s my forte,” he said. “I trust the process and run the way that I trust myself to.”
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