Status of QB Aidan O'Connell murky as Purdue preps for white-hot Gophers
Will he play? Won’t he play?
That’s the question that hovers over injured No. 1 Purdue quarterback Aidan O'Connell as the Boilermakers prepare to battle at No. 21 Minnesota on Saturday.
"Aidan, we'll see later on in the week where that's at,” said Purdue coach Jeff Brohm at his Monday press conference.
O’Connell didn’t play last week in a too-close-for-comfort 28-26 Homecoming victory vs. Florida Atlantic that leveled Purdue’s record at 2-2 overall (0-1 Big Ten). Brohm says the sixth-year senior was injured in the first quarter of a 32-29 loss at Syracuse on Sept. 17.
"Well, I don't want to disclose what his injury is for his safety, so a lot of times when you get injured during the game, you've got adrenaline and then you're able to play through it," said Brohm.
Despite the injury, O'Connell finished the game at Syracuse, completing 39-of-56 passes (69 percent) for 424 yards with three TDs and an interception.
"It's not until later on do you feel sore and then you get things checked and you diagnose what it is and you have to adapt," said Brohm. "I think that probably is more common than you think, unless it's extremely, extremely severe that you can't play with.
"I just think he's tough and he wanted to finish, and he did a really good job in the Syracuse game."
With O’Connell in civies last Saturday night in Ross-Ade Stadium, Purdue turned to sixth-year senior Austin Burton, who acquitted himself in his first start since 2019 when he was at UCLA. He hit 72 percent of his passes (21-of-29) for 166 yards with three TDs and an interception. Best of all: Burton delivered a victory. Purdue also used redshirt sophomore Michael Alaimo for one series.
But, the Boilermaker offense lacked the big-play ability that has come to define it with O’Connell at the controls. With Burton at the wheel, Purdue attempted only one pass of 20-plus yards in the air and was 6-of-8 on passes behind the line of scrimmage. Burton may get the call again on Saturday at Minnesota, with Alaimo also again getting playing time, too.
"Austin has had a little more experience and has played, so it'll probably be something similar where Austin will start and we'll try to get Mike Alaimo in the game, as well," said Brohm. "But both those guys worked hard last week and we've got to try to utilize them as well as we can."
Purdue no doubt needs O'Connell when it wades into Huntington Bank Stadium for a noon ET kickoff vs. white-hot Minnesota (4-0; 1-0), which is coming off a 34-7 destruction of Michigan State in East Lansing.
O'Connell isn't the lone Boilermaker whose status is murky. Purdue's best defender, S/LB Jalen Graham, has missed the last three games with a tibia fracture.
"That one we'll have to see later on in the week, as well,” said Brohm.
Purdue also hopes to have wideout Broc Thompson, offensive tackle Cam Craig, cornerback Reese Taylor and running back King Doerue on Saturday. They all missed the FAU game with injury.
“Broc and Cam are doubtful,” said Brohm. “Reese, we'll see later in the week, and King we'll see later in the week.”
Purdue is 0-6 all-time in a venue that opened in 2009 as TCF Bank Stadium. In those six games, Minnesota has tallied 35, 44, 39, 44, 41 and 34 points. Since 2008, Purdue is 3-10 overall vs. the Golden Gophers. Brohm is 1-4 vs. Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck, who has won the last four meetings.
The last time Purdue visited Dinkytown, it suffered a 34-31 loss steeped in controversy after Boilermaker tight end Payne Durham was flagged for what looked to be a dubious offensive pass inference penalty on a TD catch that would have given the Boilermakers a late lead—and perhaps a victory.
The Golden Gophers are looking like the team to beat in a wide-open Big Ten West. Fleck has a physical team led by quarterback Tanner Morgan and running back Mohamed Ibrahim, who has rushed for 100 yards each of the last 13 games. He has burned Purdue for 102 and 155 yards rushing in previous encounters.
Morgan has been a Purdue tormentor, too. In four games, he’s completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 968 yards with six touchdowns and one interception. In a 38-31 win in West Lafayette in 2019, Morgan hit 21-of-22 passes for 396 yard and four TDs. In the same game, Purdue also saw No. 1 quarterback Elijah Sindelar and top wideout Rondale Moore suffer season-ending injuries on the same play in a bizarre scene.
“Great running game, big offensive line, an experienced running back, big tight ends, sixth- or seventh-year quarterback that runs their offense very, very well,” said Brohm of the 2022 Gophers, who have beaten New Mexico State, FCS Western Illinois and Colorado in addition to MSU.
The defense also has been stout. To wit: Minnesota is one of two Big Ten teams not to give up a rushing touchdown this season. Iowa is the other.
“Defensively, very sound, physical up front, experience in the secondary, really good linebackers,” said Brohm. “They're definitely doing a very good job. You've got to credit their team right now. Really, really solid football in Big Ten fashion with great defense and a solid running game.”
To combat a Minnesota team that's on a roll, Purdue will need all hands on deck.
"We understand this is a tough match-up," said Brohm. "We're going to have to do a lot of things right. We're going to have to find ways to get scores and take advantage of possessions, get some stops on defense, and once again, the key is can we find a way to get a lead and take them out of what they really want to do. That will be important."
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