Training camp will start in less than a month. Before the lid is taken off the 2019 season, let’s take a deep-dive statistical look at Purdue’s strengths and weaknesses.

This is the first of a three-part series examining Purdue's strengths and weaknesses. We are taking a look at the Boilermakers' 2018 statistics on offense, defense and special teams in an effort to examine what the team should do well and what it needs to improve for 2019.

First up: The offense. What did the Boilermakers do well on offense in 2018? What do they need to improve on this fall?

The Purdue attack had its moments last season in Year Two under Jeff Brohm. And, the prospects for the offense appear bright in 2019. In fact, this could be one of the top offenses not just in the Big Ten--but perhaps the nation.

Brohm will have some deluxe skill talent at his disposal this fall led by wideout Rondale Moore, a legit Heisman contender. And Brohm with have a veteran triggerman in fifth-year senior Elijah Sindelar at the controls. But--and there always is a "but"--all of the skill could be undone if the line doesn’t come together.

Jeff Brohm has given Purdue something it lacked for almost a decade prior to his arrival: An identity. When you think “Boilermaker football,” you now think of a dynamic offense built around a complex downfield passing game. And last year’s stats show that.

Purdue ranked 34th or higher in the above key passing stats, while keeping sacks down. That’s a credit to the quarterbacks getting rid of the ball quickly and the line keeping things buttoned up.

The 2019 offense belongs to quarterback Elijah Sindelar with David Blough off to the NFL. Can Sindelar stay healthy? That is the $64,000 question that hangs over Ross-Ade Stadium. The left knee he hurt in 2017 (ACL) keeps acting up, playing a role in him missing the final 11 games of last year. And he tweaked it in the spring. If Sindelar goes down, Brohm would turn to redshirt freshman Jack Plummer, who never has taken a snap. Gulp.

Brohm loves Sindelar’s big arm, which allows him to execute the downfield passing game this offense desires. Look for Sindelar to chuck it deep often to an exciting collection of wideouts. And there will be a big dose of quick-hitters in open space to Rondale Moore, where he can do his thing, and seam routes to tight end Brycen Hopkins.

Can the line hold up? The tackles look solid, but the interior is a worry. Who will be the center? And what guards will flank that person?

No one ever will confuse Purdue with the 1990s Nebraska Cornhuskers when it comes to running the ball. But more is needed on the ground if this offense wants to continue to evolve.

The attack is built to take what defenses are giving. So, if opposing defenses are consistently set up to stop the pass, Purdue needs to be able to make them pay with its rushing attack. But too often last year, the rushing game lacked consistency. None of the above numbers are notable.

Too few rushing yards per game ... too few big plays ... It's all in black and white for you to see. And those numbers were accomplished with veteran running backs Markell Jones and D.J. Knox carrying the load. Now, both are gone. Who will be the primary ballcarrier? Injury-prone Tario Fuller? Sledgehammer Zander Horvath? A true freshman?

As was mentioned, the line is a work in progress. The TFLs allowed per game number needs to be trimmed. The tackle spots look solid, but the interior has the line coach Dale Williams tossing and turning at night. The biggest conundrum: Who will snap the ball? Viktor Beach is best suited for the gig.

Long story short, there is a lot to prove in the run game for the Boilermakers. In fact, it’s not an overstatement to say that the development of the rushing attack is the key to how good this offense can be in 2019. Running the ball is a mind-set. It takes toughness, want-to, grit--especially in tight quarters when the world knows you are gonna run the ball. Does this offense possess those qualities?

That bring us to the “four-minute offense.” Can Purdue execute it with consistency? When it needs to run—and the defense knows it’s gonna run—to kill the clock late in games to protect a lead, can Purdue do it? The good offenses find a way to keep the chains and the clock moving.

This offense showed an ability to gain yards in chunks. Thank the passing game, which carried the bulk of the load in 2018.

That's why Purdue’s yards-per-play were good. And this offense was in the upper-third in America in “long plays.” After Elijah Sindelar went down, David Blough showed an ability to push the ball downfield to wideouts like Rondale Moore and the now departed Isaac Zico and Terry Wright. Thank god for Blough.

Sindelar is more than physically capable of picking up where Blough left off after missing the last 11 games of 2019 (oblique and knee injuries). But, again, the rub with Sindelar is his health. He emerged from training camp as the team’s starting quarterback each of the last two seasons. But ineffectiveness (2017) and injury (2018) have derailed him. Can he start AND finish a season?

While the passing game looks primed to be one of the Big Ten’s best, the run game must develop. The inability to regularly thump the ball is reflected in a middling third-down conversion rate in 2018 that often killed drives.

And while this offense excelled last year at coming away with points when it entered the red zone, it needs to come away with more touchdowns and fewer field goals. Again, that’s a reflection of an inability to get a steady push in the rush game in an area of the field (inside the 20-yard line) where yards are difficult to come by in a truncated region.

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