Purdue QB Blough waiting for another turn, ready to contribute
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David Blough will be ready when he gets another chance for Purdue.
And he expects he will, probably even Saturday.
Though sophomore Elijah Sindelar appears to have an edge now in the Boilermakers' quarterback rotation after back-to-back shaky performances by the veteran captain Blough, Blough and Sindelar said Tuesday they both know anything can happen with Jeff Brohm as head coach.
Brohm said Monday Blough still is in the mix despite taking two sacks in the red zone at Wisconsin and throwing a pair of interceptions the previous week against Minnesota. Since being pulled after the second interception against the Gophers, Blough unofficially has played three snaps compared to Sindelar's 99.
When asked about how he's doing mentally, the 23-game starter said he's “good.”
"I’m happy the team is playing well. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters," Blough said Tuesday after practice. "I’m preparing the same way and supporting Elijah through the whole process. It’s a different experience for me, but I’m all in for the team.
"You keep the same schedule, film-watching. You keep the same schedule of getting reps in practice, getting mental reps when Elijah is in. You make sure you enjoy it, enjoy the process and control what you can control and be ready if your name is called. If not, you support the other guy. And the end of the day, it’s about Purdue."
Brohm appeared primed to stick with the rotation he'd built at Wisconsin when he inserted Blough in for starter Sindelar in the second quarter. Purdue had just gotten the ball in prime field position after a punt block, setting it up on Wisconsin's 15-yard line, trailing 14-3.
On the first snap, against a four-man rush, Blough said he was stuck on one receiver running a corner route against man coverage. When that receiver didn't break open, he didn't have time to evade an outside linebacker who'd gotten past left tackle Eric Swingler and a collapsing pocket. So he was sacked.
Blough pitched the ball to Markell Jones on second down, but the carry didn't gain much, leaving Purdue with a third-and-12 from the 17. On that snap, right guard Matt McCann appeared to get pretty quickly, bringing pressure in Blough's face up the middle. Blough said if he worked to the left, he may have been able to find a lane to throw, but he "didn't have my best vision." And, again, he couldn't escape and was sacked.
Purdue attempted a 42-yard field goal on the next play, but J.D. Dellinger missed.
Blough didn't play another snap in the game.
"I can’t take those two sacks," Blough said. "We had guys open on the first play for sure and I should have pulled the trigger on the second one. I have to get rid of it. We can’t take a sack. We’ve got to figure out a way to get points on the board. Those sacks ultimately took a field goal off the board. Can’t do it."
Blough said the previous game in which he threw two interceptions against the Gophers didn't mean he was gun shy to try to thread a ball into a receiver in the red zone against Wisconsin.
"As a quarterback, you’ve got to have that mentality where you’re going to pull the trigger," he said. "I’ve thrown my fair share of interceptions and have always bounced back and thrown it the next time. That’s for sure. I’m not going to stop, be trigger shy or anything like that. Those two plays didn’t look good. I can see how it looks."
Blough hopes he'll get another chance Saturday at Rutgers to bounce back, something he's done throughout his career.
The message from Jeff Brohm and QB coach Brian Brohm to Blough has been to keep plugging, keep leading and keep preparing the same way he's done all season. Blough says he'll make sure he's always ready.
"It’s about the team, and that’s what I’m about. It’s nothing different than it’s been all year to any of us," Blough said. "I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win."
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