9/16/2020 football Edit

Jeff Brohm "excited to get back to working"

Tom Dienhart • BoilerUpload

GoldandBlack.com, Associate Editor

It's time for Purdue to put its pads on and get to work. There is a 2020 football season to prepare for. And Jeff Brohm couldn't be happier.

"We are very thankful to have this opportunity," said Brohm. "We also know a lot has gone into this process. ... "

The key part of that process: Providing a safe return to the field amid a COVID-19 pandemic. Health and safety protocols have evolved to the point where the Big Ten feels comfortable playing in 2020. That's what led to the recent 14-0 vote by league presidents to play this fall, with kickoff slated for Oct. 23-24.

"We do feel at this point with the daily antigen testing that will be done, with all of the cardiac protocols that we have in place, that we will field one of the safest conferences in the country as far as how we are gonna combat the COVID-19 issue," said Brohm, who fesses his team also must do a good job outside the facility to avoid infections.

"I know our players are excited to get back to working, get back into competition and we can make this an exciting year."

The Boilermakers and the rest of the Big Ten have been in limbo since the league announced a postponement on Aug. 11 amid a COVID-19 pandemic that the conference felt was too unsafe to navigate to play football. Ideas for a winter and spring season were floated. Instead, the Big Ten will play this fall.

"The first couple days, the first week, we weren't very happy," said Brohm. "It's something we didn't think was gonna happen at that point. And we had to adjust. I tried to put out a spring plan to give us hope and optimism that we were gonna get back on the field. ...

"Now that we've been able to speed up that process, and find a way to get into playing college football, ...I think it's exciting for them."

Everyone's attention now turns to getting ready for the season.

Brohm says his team has been working in the weight room since the postponement. And it has been on the field in limited gear (helmets and shorts) doing some light work, but it hasn't been as extensive as what usually takes place in camp.

"We will continue to do that this week," said Brohm, who admits his team had some players knocked out by contact tracing and quarantines over the summer.

Purdue will continue with that lighter routine the following week. For all intents and purposes, camp will open the last week of September. Brohm says the Boilers may be in shells for the first time on Sept. 29, while its first day in pads could be Sept. 30.

"That's not fully set in stone," said Brohm.

Brohm feels good about where his team is at now and thinks five weeks is more than enough time to get ready for the season.

"I think each team is gonna have the ability to get ready to play," said Brohm. "We've had a lot of time to practice in a setting without pads."

Brohm says he gave his team some time off. His players have been in more football meetings than usual. But work must be done on the field in full gear ... now.

"We just gotta make sure we take the time to get them acclimated to putting pads on, doing some live tackling, live blocking and to make sure we are up to speed with that. I think it's important," said Brohm.

Brohm also notes the importance of having everyone practice, even moreso than in the past because of the specter of players being sidelined by the virus.

"If you have a few things happen with the COVID issue, we are able to get guys to step in right away to play, contribute and do a good job," said Brohm.

Could one of those players who practices this month be Rondale Moore, who opted out to prepare for the NFL draft in early August?

"We will support any decision he wants to make ... " said Brohm. "It's something we definitely are going to look into and see where that goes."

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Purdue can start prepping for a nine-game 2020 season that will begin Oct. 23-24. (Krockover Photography)

In the meantime, Purdue moves forward without its dynamic playmaker. The squad was on the practice field on Tuesday and will be there on Thursday and Friday, said Brohm. The team is limited to 12 hours of weekly work. That should soon increase to 20 hours per week. Brohm wasn't sure when that would take effect.

It's all about building toward an eight-game-plus-one schedule that begins Oct. 23-24 and ends Dec. 19. That's nine games in nine weeks.

"I feel like the nine games in a row that we are getting ready to play is something that's very doable from our end," said Brohm.

The schedule will be announced later this week. No fans will be permitted to games, but family of players will be accommodated.

Purdue A.D. Mike Bobinski said today the schedule will include four home games and four road games. The eight opponents will be culled from the nine Big Ten teams on Purdue's initial 12-game 2020 schedule. Assume the Boilermakers will play all six Big Ten West foes. And Bobinski confirmed Purdue will play Indiana in one crossover match. The final foe? Rutgers or Michigan.

The season will conclude with matchups between East -West teams, pitting No. 1 vs. No. 1, No. 2 vs. No. 2, No. 3 vs. No. 3, etc.

"The championship game will still be at Lucas Oil Stadium down in Indianapolis," said Bobinski. "I don't know where the other (ninth) games will be. It might be something we consider domes also. We haven't gotten to that point yet."

Brohm says the nine-game format has been discussed for a while.

"If there is a chance to play those games in a dome, like the Big Ten championship because of the weather, we'd love to do that," said Brohm. "If not, we are 100 percent on board."

Big Ten teams also figure to be part of the four-team College Football Playoff, despite the late start. That's a big deal.

But first things first: Purdue has to prepare for the 2020 season, which already has two weeks in the books with fellow Power Five leauges the ACC and Big 12 playing last weekend. The SEC begins Sept. 26, while the Pac-12 is still sorting through options.

"I don't think (other leagues) have the stringent protocols that we're gonna be having going forward, so I think that's what makes everyone more confident that this could work," said Brohm.