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Purdue Football: Notes, observations from 2017 spring game

By Ryan McNeill

Nov 19, 2016; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Purdue Boilermakers quarterback David Blough (11) runs the ball in the second quarter of the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Ross Ade Stadium. The Wisconsin Badgers beat the Purdue Boilermakers 49-20. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 19, 2016; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Purdue Boilermakers quarterback David Blough (11) runs the ball in the second quarter of the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Ross Ade Stadium. The Wisconsin Badgers beat the Purdue Boilermakers 49-20. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Here’s what stood out to me during Purdue football’s 2017 spring game. Is a turnaround in the works?

With this being the first glance at how Jeff Brohm’s team will look, there should be a lot of interest to see if Purdue can start to become a Big Ten power.

Here are some of the things that jumped out while I was watching Purdue’s Spring Game:

  • Tario Fuller ripped off a 20-yard run on his first touch of the scrimmage and his second touch was a fake flea flicker that resulted in a huge gain. He’s looking like he might be the main back this season for Purdue as he got all of his touches with the first team offense. He had a game-high 41 yards and average 8.1 yards per touch.
  • Jeff Brohm to Big Ten Network: “I like what I’ve seen and I think we have a good group of guys wanting to get better and wanting to find a way to win. That’s all you can ask for as a coach. This spring we have made some strides, but there’s still plenty of ways to go. I like to see our guys play hard and have some fun.”
  • One of the things Brohm is known for, an uptempo offense, was on full display in this game. Purdue ran three plays within the first 20 seconds.
  • Brohm to Big Ten Network on David Blough picking up the nuances of his offense: “David’s done a great job so far. He’s a hard worker and he has done everything we’ve asked of him so far. He puts in the time. He is a team player and he has improved. He has to cut down on his interceptions and get the ball out quickly. He also needs to stay in the pocket and not have antsy feet. All of those things he has worked hard on.”
  • Blough did a great job planting his feet in the pocket and putting a soft touch on his passes. He looks confident already in Brohm’s offense.
  • I’m not sure if the offense was this electric or if the defense is this sluggish. It will be interesting to see how this looks in real game action against an opponent that isn’t aware what the offense is running. The interesting thing is the defense is the side of the ball that has looked dominant in practices this month.
  • T.J. Gallow made some big plays; particularly one in the first quarter to break up a potential touchdown. He also made some huge hits on receivers. The junior college transfer has the potential to be a key cog in Purdue’s defense next season.
  • Elijah Sindelar got into the game early in the first quarter. While he won’t steal the starters job from Blough, but the former high school star in Kentucky looks to be a great option for Purdue if Blough is injured this season and to start a year from now. One pass in particular sticks out where he thread the needle between two defenders to drop the ball perfectly into his receivers for a big gain.
  • DJ Edwards is a freshman WR that got some throws during the game. It will be impressive for a kid who was playing highs school football a couple of months ago to step into a Big Ten program and possibly earn some playing time.
  • Newcomer Kai Higgins had three sacks. That’s one way to earn playing time this season.

Related Story: Top 15 Heisman candidates to watch this spring

We do know that Purdue has a lot of work to do under the new head coach to become relevant once again in the Big Ten. Will this be the year the Boilermakers make it back to a bowl game?

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