Brian Brohm, Charlie Jones & Eric Miller Media Availability
Purdue quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator Brian Brohm, wide receiver Charlie Jones and offensive lineman Eric Miller met with the media following practice Tuesday evening.
- It felt like Aidan O’Connell was throwing the ball 60 yards when they were playing together as kids. They never would have dreamed that they would be doing this together now.
- He came to Purdue to prove he was a receiver. Jones feels like he’s made strides in the right direction, but there is always room to grow for the next level.
- It was different playing against his former team (Iowa) a few weeks ago, but said everything came second to Purdue taking care of business.
- Returning punts is still a point of emphasis for him. Things haven’t gone to plan but he has not changed his mindset.
- He knows he had been overlooked as a wide receiver, and that is part of the reason he came to Purdue.
- It was tough to learn the Jeff Brohm system, but he said he was surrounded by a good group of guys that have helped him immensely through the transition.
- After not being contacted in the transfer portal, it was frustrating to him to be a walk-on at Iowa.
Brian Brohm:
- The IU defense throws a lot of different looks in terms of coverage and blitzes at offenses, which is something they are preparing for. He also does not feel like IU has “packed it in” despite their struggles this season.
- Brohm talked about the adjustments they’ve had to make in the passing game with high winds in recent weeks. He said they’d like for receivers to have more separation than normal to make the margin on error larger.
- Running the ball and making the offense more balanced has helped them in the last two wins specifically.
- They have not had any windy days to practice in those conditions, but there have been rainy and snow days that they’ve been able to work in.
- He feels like Aidan O’Connell has had a good season this year. Brohm brought up his clutch drives that have led to wins and some when the other team stole it at the end of the game.
- Charlie Jones has been better than they expected and it has been impressive to see how he has succeeded in this offense thus far.
- Brady Allen has been able to learn from and watch Aidan O’Connell operate this season and will have an opportunity to compete for the starting job in the spring.
- It was tough for the offensive line to lose Gus Hartwig to injury. Miller said that Hartwig is a leader in the room and will be missed.
- Josh Kaltenberger has been eager to learn and step up in the absence of Hartwig. Miller called him a smart player and believes he will succeed moving forward this season.
- Unfortunate injuries earlier in the season have helped them be more prepared when someone across the line is hurt.
- He left a return for a sixth year of eligibility open and said he will have those discussions in the coming weeks.
- Different ball carriers out of the backfield have not impacted the offensive line much because they are focused on making the blocks that are called.