Harrell wants Purdue offense to stay within itself against Fresno State
After introducing the Air Raid system to West Lafayette this off-season, Ryan Walters and Purdue expect fireworks from Graham Harrell's offense this fall. The long-time offensive coordinator has the pieces in place on the heels of training camp and is excited to test the unit against a real opponent this Saturday in Ross-Ade Stadium.
"We're excited about a lot of the guys out there, and we still got plenty to clean up from today's practice. It'll be good to finally play against someone else and get a chance to go put the hard work you put in to work on a game," Harrell said.
The Boilermakers' attack will have a tough first test to complete, however. Purdue plays host to Fresno State on Saturday afternoon, who is coming off an impressive 2022 campaign, which saw the Bulldogs rattle off nine straight wins en route to a Mountain West Championship Game victory and a win over Washington State in the LA Bowl.
While Fresno State could be shrugged off as an early win by some, Harrell isn't underestimating Purdue's season-opener opponent.
"You're playing a team that won double-digit games last year. Especially on the defensive side of the ball, they've got a lot of people coming back, they've got a lot of experience, so it'll definitely be a challenge, and it'll be good for us," Harrell said of the Bulldogs.
After starting last year with a 1-4 record, Fresno State turned its season around in a big way, with the defense being a significant reason why. The Bulldogs held opponents to just 14 points per game following a 20-40 defeat against Boise State in October. In the aforementioned LA Bowl, Washington State had their lowest scoring output of the season, mustering just six points.
That defense returns seven starters, with nearly the entire secondary still intact. The cohesion and returning talent give Harrell a tough challenge from day one in West Lafayette.
"A defense that, especially as the year [went] on, got really confident. They were really good on defense last year, and most of them are back. A confident group that is going to challenge you," Harrell said.
While Harrell and the Boilermakers' offense are chomping at the bit to showcase themselves this weekend, Harrell shared that he has cautioned his players from trying to do more than they are capable of. Purdue's new offensive guru wants the unit to keep things simple and just do their jobs.
"Anytime in week one, but particularly against a team that's played a lot of football together, you're going to have to go out there and do your job at a high level and be disciplined. Not have a bunch of mental errors and stuff like that," Harrell said. "Naturally, guys are excited, and they try to do too much---or it's their first chance to show it, so they try to do extra. So, I think the message has to be, we've got to do our job, like not do anything extra and go try to execute."
Cracking Fresno State's stout defense will be no easy feat, but Harrell is confident in the players he has at his disposal this season.
"Regardless of who the opponent is, if we go out there---play fast and kind of do what we think we can do, we'll give ourselves a chance to be successful each week," Harrell said. "I love all of the guys we have, we just gotta go play the right style of football."
While Harrell is confident in his players, the Boilermakers come into the 2023 season with a new cast of playmakers looking to make an impact. Following the losses of Aidan O'Connell, Charlie Jones, Payne Durham and others, Purdue returns just five starters from last season's Big Ten West championship team.
Many of the emerging talents on the offensive side of the ball played second fiddle in previous years at Purdue (Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen, Deion Burks, Max Klare) or transferred to West Lafayette in search of greener pastures (Hudson Card, Preston Nichols, Jayden Dixon-Veal).
For those players looking to breakthrough in 2023, Harrell believes they need to have a balance between excitement and discipline to be successful this fall.
"You want them to play with that chip on their shoulder. You want them to go out there with something to prove. You want them to go out there with a ton of excitement about the opportunity to go prove it, but it's going to be really important that they don't try to do too much and just execute the assignment as it's coached, and if they do they'll be alright," Harrell said.
Dealing with roster turnover is nothing new to the longtime offensive coordinator, as he's at his third school in three years, following stints at USC and West Virginia before joining Ryan Walters' staff in West Lafayette. However, Harrell believes the simplicity of his Air Raid variation makes it easier for players to make an impact right away.
"I think in the game of college football, that's going to be the case no matter what with the current state of it; the transfer portal and stuff like that. You're gonna get a whole lot of new personnel from year to year and I think we run a system that allows new guys to come in and give themselves a chance to be successful," Harrell said.
Harrell referenced the success of true freshmen quarterbacks in his system over the course of his time as an offensive coordinator, specifically Mason Fine at North Texas and both Kedon Slovis and Jaxson Dart at USC.
Purdue will not be forced to trot out a first year signal caller on Saturday as Hudson Card is set to make his first start in Ross-Ade Stadium against Fresno State. What Card has done since coming to campus in January gives his offensive the utmost confidence in him heading into the season, despite never having been a full-time starter at the college level.
"Since Hudson's been here, he's had a very professional approach. He's done everything right and every day he comes out and practices the right way and executes," Harrell said. "It's never been like a full season necessarily but he's played some football and if you turn on the tape, he executes on Saturdays."
Card, along with key contributors Devin Mockobee, TJ Sheffield and others, will look to lead Purdue to a season-opening victory against the Bulldogs in front of 60,000+ on Saturday at noon, helping kick off the Ryan Walters and Graham Harrell tenures in style.