Purdue Football: Will Boilermakers bounce back in 2020?

Rondale Moore is the X-factor on offense

As stated before, star wide receiver Rondale Moore missed the majority of the 2019 season. He appeared in just four games but was showing similar numbers to what he had produced in his breakout season as a freshman.

There is no question that the offense runs through Moore and that a lot of Purdue’s offensive success depends on him. Whether Moore is producing or being used as a decoy, having Moore on the field is crucial to Purdue getting back to .500-plus football.

During the absence of Moore in 2019, the Boilermakers had another receiver breakout and he goes by the name of David Bell. As a freshman, he totaled over 1,000 yards receiving, hauled in seven touchdowns, and reached over 100 yards receiving in six games. So having options to throw to should be no issue, but who will be throwing the ball to this dynamic-duo is the big question.

After Elijah Sindelar went down last season, backups Jack Plummer and Aidan O’Connell both saw decent playing time and each showed the reason why they should be QB1 options going forward. Joining the quarterback debate is UCLA grad transfer, Austin Burton. It’s unclear on who will be tabbed as the starting quarterback to begin the season, but expect each guy to get a shot at leading the offense in the first couple of weeks.

Lastly, the offense will need to see a significant improvement in the running game, as the Boilermakers were one of the worst teams in the conference in running the ball. The explosiveness of the passing game should take some pressure off the running backs, but one of them needs to step up to keep a balance in Purdue’s offense.