Missouri passing game could challenge Purdue secondary; more

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Missouri’s offense isn’t just about having one of the fastest tempos in the country.

It isn’t about just having one of the SEC’s best running backs.

It isn’t just about having one of the SEC’s top receivers.

It isn’t just about having one of the SEC’s biggest ball-slingers at QB.

It isn’t just about how it stretches the field vertically and horizontally in the passing game.

And that’s why it’ll be such a considerable challenge for the Boilermakers’ defense Saturday: The Tigers rank fourth in total offense through two games, third in yards-per-completion, 11th in passing offense and 29th in rushing.

At least Purdue has shown signs in its first two games that its run defense may be on an upward trajectory under Nick Holt. The passing defense, though? Head coach Jeff Brohm says that’s where the Boilermakers need to get better, and they’ll all find out where they stand this weekend.

Holt said Missouri’s offense is better than 16th-ranked Louisville at every position except one: And the Cardinals took QB only because it has the reigning Heisman winner. Missouri’s Drew Lock is no slouch with eight TDs over the first two weeks and nearly 800 passing yards.

Those kind of numbers could be scary for an opposing secondary. Purdue’s unit, though, simply sees as exactly what they’re looking for: A chance to prove they’re not the weak link on this defense.

“They love to stretch the field, make you tackle in open space, have receivers flanked out wide and make it one-on-one tackling for DBs, corners, anyone in the open field really,” said Navon Mosley, who could start at safety Saturday with T.J. Jallow's status up in the air.

“I’m very excited for Saturday to play Missouri. They’re going to test the DBs a lot, making us tackle in the open field. It’s a very exciting game. I know we’re going to have a lot of activity."

Purdue struggled in the opener when the Cardinals spread them out, specifically going empty, and Holt said Missouri will widen their receiver splits to try to create advantages. The Boilermakers largely have played zone early this season, though they’ll mix in man, too. And it may make sense to mix up coverages this week to try to confuse Lock, who has experience as a starter but also has a reputation for bad decision-making under pressure.

Actual pressure from Purdue’s D-line to speed up Lock’s thinking will help, too, and though the Boilermakers have only one sack this season, they’ve gotten into the backfield but just haven’t finished making plays. Saturday would be a good time to start.

“He can make literally every throw,” Mosley said of Lock. “I’m watching film, and I’m seeing him throw out routes to the wide side of the field, and not many guys can do that. He has an NFL arm. He can really make throws. That’s something that’s very impressive about him. So we’re going to have to put pressure on him, make him uncomfortable. Make him move a lot in the pocket to take away some of those throws and playing some man-to-man, things to close the windows for him.”

Expect Mizzou to try to get the ball out of Lock’s hands quickly at times on perimeter screens — especially if Purdue’s DBs are giving a cushion — but the secondary also will need to be on alert for balls to go over the top.

Though Missouri’s receivers have been prone to drops this season, the Tigers average nearly 22 yards per catch this season.

“They get those guys in space and they know what those guys are good at. They catch the ball, they’re physical, they run routes hard,” cornerback Da’Wan Hunte said. “Those guys have a lot of speed on the perimeter. They know how to use those guys to the best of their ability, and I think that’s why they’ve had success.

“We’ve just got to make sure we make plays on the ball when the time comes. Because they’re going to throw the ball, so we’ve got to make sure we’re in position and then when the play is there, we’ve got to make it. …We’re up for the challenge. We’re excited about this week.” (SC)

Richie Worship had a physically impressive touchdown in Week 1 against Louisville, catching a pass in the flat, making the first defender miss and then barreling through a pair of would-be tacklers inside the 5-yard line for the score.

There wasn’t anything as flashy in Week 2, but Worship may have been just as impactful in a new role: As a lead blocker.

Worship spent the bulk of his double-digits snaps in a two-back set, and he wasn’t the one getting the football. Bit hard to do when he lined up mostly at the H-back spot, like a tight end or a “flex” player, in Purdue’s offense.

Still, the alignment allowed Worship to get off the line quickly and slip through holes, especially between the tackles, to reach the second level and blow up Ohio linebackers, freeing running room for the back who was trailing him. Worship says he has the mentality he’s winning that matchup against linebackers “100 percent of the time.”

“It felt good that I can contribute and I’m just glad Coach feels like he can utilize me on the field any type of way. I want to be there for him,” Worship said after Tuesday’s practice. “It was a newer game plan for me. But we just kept practicing, and I just kept working at it. Coach felt like we could execute it and he trusted us to execute it and we tried to go out there and do it.”

It certainly worked, as Purdue held a hefty per-play average in the grouping.

Worship wouldn’t say whether the Boilermakers would continue to use him in such a way moving forward, but if they do, he’s ready.

“Coach knows I know my role on the team, and he knows I’m more than willing to contribute any type of way, special teams, offense, hell, if he needed me on defense, I have no problem going on defense also,” he said. “I feel the majority of the time, I’d consider myself more of an H-back, flex now. Sometimes, I’m playing a little bit of running back. Sometimes playing a little bit of fullback. Sometimes I’m lined up where our tight end lines up. It’s just all around.” (SC)

A year ago, Brycen Hopkins couldn’t tell one defensive scheme from another, a mystery that made it difficult for the young tight end to know what he was doing.

He’s got a much better understanding now, able to distinguish between different zones and man coverages.

Case in point: On the sophomore’s 38-yard reception in the second quarter, he was lined up as the slot man on the left side, part of a 2x2 look for the Boilermakers. And he had a linebacker shaded with inside leverage in front of him. But Hopkins quickly identified the coverage as Cover 2 — and quarterback David Blough did the same — with the two connecting for a big gain that set up a touchdown.

“Depending on what route he’s running, I love looking at leverage, because if he’s got any kind of advantage he’s (a) No. 1 (option),” Blough said. “If he has an out-breaking route and it’s inside leverage, let’s go to Brycen. If he has an inside route and outside leverage, let’s go to Brycen.”

Quarterbacks have found Hopkins seven times through the first two games this season, the third-most among Boilermakers. And he’s averaging 17 yards per reception, with a couple of touchdowns, continuing the penchant for not only big plays — he’s now averaging 17.7 yards on his 17 career receptions — but scoring; he has six touchdowns.

Hopkins, who played only a couple years of high school football, is feeling better than ever. He knows what he’s doing — finally — and he can use that knowledge rather than only athleticism.

“It’s been pretty hard, but they force us — not bad force — to get our heads in the playbook and when you spend time in the playbook, then it can only go good for you,” the 6-foot-5, 240-pounder said. “For me, it’s a matter of repetition, so just doing it. The more I got out there, the more I ran the routes, the more I practiced, the easier it got and that’s how it should be for everyone.

“A year ago, I didn’t know how to read a coverage, but now I feel really comfortable. I don’t need anyone telling me what to do, most of the time.”

Although Tony Levine, the tight ends coach, has been at Purdue only since the winter, he’s seen great improvement.

“In grasping the offense, understanding defenses, blocking, he’s a natural pass-catcher, but even his route running and techniques have improved,” Levine said. “The fun thing about Brycen is that he’s only a sophomore. He has somewhere around 40 football games left here in his college career. So he’s only going to get better, but he has shown a tremendous amount of improvement in the short time we’ve been here.” (KC)

After David Blough's shaky two-interception performance in the season opener, Jeff Brohm had a lengthy one-on-one meeting with the junior captain heading into the Ohio game. The focus was on the mental aspects of playing quarterback from not predetermining actions or overthinking but it also touched on footwork and rhythm in the pocket.

Blough always has been a player intent on improvement, but he also was spurred by a message during the week of having a "teachable spirit," so he worked hard to apply Brohm's tips. And, ultimately, Blough did, completing all but two passes against the Bobcats and throwing for three TDs.

"He's such a smart person, he likes to predetermine and wants to know the answer before he should instead of letting it play out," Brohm said. "We had a long discussion, and I think he got a little bit out of it and realized what we were saying. He had a very good week of practice. And I thought in this past game, he looked very relaxed and very smooth and got in a rhythm. He looked like he felt very comfortable out there."

Blough said he was, and that was aided by Brohm presenting him with a "case study" of a QB similar to Blough, one who likes to have the answers and wants "closure." Brohm challenged Blough to react more than predetermine thoughts.

"(It's) me evaluating the defense with what we have going on, expecting one thing to happen and then if it doesn’t happen, maybe I’m not as good as I can be," Blough said. "Being able to turn that off a little bit, expect some things and do your film study and all that stuff but then be able to play and not paralyze yourself."

Blough said it's helped him come off the bench in the first two games, too, because he's able to get a picture of what the defenses' plans are and dissect things from the sideline. He thinks coaches also get into a rhythm as well early, and he's a beneficary of that.

There's no public word on whether the QB plan will be the same at Missouri, but Blough and starter Elijah Sindelar have said they're prepared for anything. They just want to keep getting better each week.

"I think an area you can see improvement is completion percentage, not being careless with the ball, finding completions, throwing it away or not forcing it and trying to get a yard or two and maybe a sack minus 1 is better than forcing a ball," Blough said. "I see it in the completion percentage. We’ve got to keep cutting out the turnovers and bad decisions there, but that’s where I see it the most, improvement, my learning." (SC)

There’s not a lot of nuance to Spencer Evans’ objective when he lines up for a kickoff.

“The goal is to kick it as far as I can,” said Evans, Purdue’s full-time kickoff specialist and part-time placekicker. “Not every one is going to be perfect, not every kick is going to be out of the back of the end zone, but I try to do my best to take care of the guys running down with me and try to give them a break when I can. And also, it’s great to be able to eliminate the return game if we can.”

Evans is doing all of that through the first two games of the season — and hitting his field goals, too, in his shared responsibilities with J.D. Dellinger — having put 10 of his 13 kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks.

Considering Purdue had only seven all of last season, it’s been a boost, helping the Boilermakers to pin the opponents at the 25-yard-line, consistently, to start their drives.

“He’s been more (than what we anticipated), to be honest with you,” special teams coordinator Tony Levine said of Evans, who kicked at Baylor for two season, in 2014-15, before sitting out last year. “I know he played two years at Baylor before the transfer here, but until you’re coaching him and around him and he goes in the game and performs, you don’t know what you’ve got.”

Evans is powerful — on one of his kickoffs vs. Ohio Friday, he booted it 10 yards out of the back of the end zone without significant wind assistance — a characteristic he attributes as much to technique as strength. It showed up at Baylor, where he had 39 touchbacks as a sophomore.

“It’s little things, getting your hips through the ball, making sure your shoulders are square, making sure you keep your head down through contact, things like that,” said Evans, who is averaging 64.8 yards per boot, up from the 60 he averaged in 2015. “But leg strength really helps, and since I’ve been here, the strength staff has been great. They’ve helped me a lot.”

At Purdue, Evans is also getting a chance to kick field goals, a task he didn’t get at Baylor, nor was he even given an opportunity to compete, he said. It was among the reasons why he wanted to transfer.

He’s 2-of-2 as a Boilermaker — he and Dellinger are alternating on kicks and extra points — having made both 36- and 38-yarders vs. Ohio.

“I can’t tell you the rush you get when you step out on the field,” Evans said, “knowing the work that everybody else has done to put you in position to put points on the board. And then going out there and being able to do it, it’s incredible.” (KC)

It's part of football, stealing plays, copying ideas, analyzing what worked against a certain look, what didn't.

Purdue likely will swipe some stuff from Missouri State's offense in Week 1 after it had a solid showing against Missouri's defense. The Boilermakers likely will dial up a couple blitzes that have worked against Missouri's offense this season. It's why coaches and players dissect film, to pick up any nuance possible to gain an edge.

Apparently, Auburn thought it could do the same against Clemson last weekend by "copying" Purdue's trick play against Ohio.

It just didn't work like it did for the Boilermakers, who scored a 62-yard touchdown on the double reverse, pitch-back flea flicker, as Jeff Brohm called it.

And that kind of made David Blough, the QB who executed the pass, happy.

"I texted (Purdue's) head coach and the quarterback coach. I said, ‘They just ran it and not as well as we did,’ " Blough said with a smile. "It felt good that their quarterback had to throw it away."

Brohm, Purdue's play caller, waited for the perfect look on defense to finally call the play. He'd thought about doing it earlier but didn't. And even when he thought he saw what he was looking for against Ohio, Brohm made sure to tell Blough to offer a fake cadence just to be sure Ohio wasn't disguising a defense. The Bobcats weren't, allowing Purdue to execute the handoff to D.J. Knox, Knox's flip to receiver Jackson Anthrop, Anthrop's flip back to Blough and Blough's throw to a wide-open Cole Herdman for the TD.

"Coaches kind of joke, everybody plays a little bit of copycat," Blough said. "You see it a little bit. ... We’ve looked at Missouri State and we’ve found some things we think might help us. We’ve looked at a couple other games, too. We always do that. All the teams do that. They break down four, five games and see what works against what coverages and what fronts they give us. Those are the games we’re watching." (SC)

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