O-line decisions for Northwestern could go all the way to game day
Video: Purdue offensive linemen
In Dale Williams' mind, the deadline to settle on starters for the season opener is very simple. The opening kickoff is slated for 8 p.m. Aug. 30. No earlier or later than that time.
The "puzzle pieces," as he likes to refer to the chemistry of his first five offensive linemen, is something Purdue's assistant coach says he may not have in place until right before the Boilermakers' season opener.
"It'll go to the final day," Williams said about announcing starters. "It'll go to the kickoff."
And that rotation could change after the first possession.
Williams has made his players well aware of the potential for a quick hook with certain players, likely including every current first-team option, probably aside from Rimington Trophy watch list nominee Kirk Barron at center.
"Last year you saw where if you messed up then they're liable to yank you out and put somebody else in," senior offensive tackle Eric Swingler said. "I think there's a bunch of guys that can play right away and a bunch of guys that have played right away. We all know that."
This quick-hook style may be relatively new for Williams, as he admitted Wednesday that in his 20-plus years of coaching, he would normally try to stubbornly make it work with the initial five-man unit he picked in the preseason.
No longer.
"The old way with me was I would rock and roll with these five and they're going to play and overcome," Williams said. "Now, nope. In, out, in, out and whatever way we need to be to win the game."
With the arrival of Western Kentucky graduate transfer Dennis Edwards to occupy a first-team guard spot, Purdue will begin the 2018 season with seven different players who have started at least one game in their college career. This kind of depth, unique to Purdue's program over the last few years, has allowed Williams to tinker with versatile pieces such as Matt McCann at both guard and tackle along with Swingler at both left and right tackle.
"You look at last year and we're at Iowa and we come out of halftime, (starters) Shane Evans and Matt McCann, they're not out there," Williams said, matter-of-factly. "If you're not getting it done, you're coming out."
With a severe hamstring injury hampering senior Shane Evans, senior Bearooz Yacoobi had been handling left guard in the open practice sessions but another possible option for Williams is to move right tackle McCann back inside to one of the guard spots and place Swingler, a former walk-on who started the final seven games of last season, at the right tackle spot following the loss of starter Grant Hermanns to a knee injury.
"We've got guys that won't start this year but have started games in the Big Ten. That's huge," Barron said. "That's something we've never had at Purdue. When I came in, the first day of practice I was (second-string). Now we have four centers. The depth, with this coaching staff and what we've built here is amazing."
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