Maybe the third time will be a charm for Elijah Sindelar.
This will be the third season in a row the fifth-year senior will open as Purdue’s starting quarterback. The last Boilermaker signal-caller to do that was Curtis Painter from 2006-08.
But the 6-4, 225-pound Sindelar has seen ineffectiveness and injury sully each the last two seasons. Now, with the 2019 campaign about to dawn with the season-opener at Nevada on Friday, Sindelar is healthy, smarter and ready to shine.
“I think Elijah wants to be a great quarterback here for Purdue,” said Jeff Brohm. “We're looking forward to watching him play this year. I think he understands he's done some very good things here and a few things he has to work on. The things to work on: Interceptions, ball security, take care of the football.”
Sindelar knows. He knows about the forced passes, spotty decision-making and interceptions. In some ways, his three-pick first-half in last year’s season-opener vs. Northwestern that got him benched is fresh in mind. He's learned.
“I think I’m seeing (the field) a lot better,” said Sindelar. “It’s slowing down a lot now. We are having time where I am moving in the pocket and finding the sweet spot and that’s the most important thing.”
The Princeton, Ky., native won’t lack for targets with talent like sophomore wideout Rondale Moore and fifth-year senior tight end Brycen Hopkins leading the way, along with a raft of talented freshman receivers led by David Bell and Milton Wright. The potential for this offense is intriguing.
“He's played some really good football,” said Brohm. “We have to do our job to put him in the best position for success. He has to take the reins and run with it. I'm hopeful he plays at a high level.”
Brohm also hopes Sindelar stays healthy. He had surgery on his left knee after the 2017 season. And it acted up last season, playing a big role in him missing the final 11 games. Sindelar says the knee is fine now, allowing him to focus on improvement.
"There are sometimes I may have to move, set my feet and throw,” said Sindelar. “Other times, I may have to move on the run but be able to identify when it’s an escape the pocket or just slightly move up (situation), slightly move to the right, being able to identify when those times are is really helping me.”
Sindelar made eight starts in 2017—when he was replaced by David Blough before taking over late in the season after Blough was hurt. In 2018, Sindelar made just one start. Now, Sindelar is looking to start the entire season. The last Purdue quarterback to do that: David Blough in 2016. Start No. 1 looms for Sindelar, who also needs a rebuilt line to protect him.
“They drop a lot of eight which means there should be holes and I should have plenty of time to throw the ball,” said Sindelar, breaking down the Wolf Pack defense. “If it’s not there, move around the pocket and let the guys work to find the open areas. Otherwise, it could be a three-to-five man box, and we can run the ball. We have a good scheme put together and should be able to exploit their weaknesses.”
Whose defense does Nevada’s remind him of in the Big Ten?
“To be honest, they are kind of like our own defense,” said Sindelar. “Our defense runs a lot P 3 Double Cloud in certain situations. And we have gone against that when we go ones vs. ones. Being able to see that against our defense full speed instead of just against our scout team is good for us. They like to mix it up. They have Cover Four and Cover Three. … But the main is P 3 Double Cloud that our defense runs.
“A lot of it will be adapting and adjusting on the field. We have an idea and a game plan going in. If it’s not what we thought, we have a backup.”
Sindelar is ready to go.
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