The 3-2-1: Danger! Non-conference road game ahead

Non-conference road struggles, Hudson Card delivers, third-down woes … it’s time for the 3-2-1, an inside look at Purdue football.

Three things learned

1 – Non-conference road game woes

How much of a slog has it been for the Boilermakers when playing non-league games away from Ross-Ade Stadium (bowl games not included)? Purdue is 2-11 in its last 13 such contests, including two losses in Indianapolis. The lone victories have come at UConn in 2021 and at Missouri in 2018.

This upcoming junket to Blacksburg, Va., will be a challenge.

“Obviously an electric atmosphere,” said Ryan Walters. “We showed a clip of “Enter Sandman” in our team meeting last night, the Virginia Tech intro.

“So, it will be the first time where all of us are traveling together as a team, and it’s hard to do that on the road and all the challenges that face us from a schematic standpoint.”

After the trip, Purdue has three home games to finish September. This game at Tech figures to go a long way in determining the Boilermakers’ bowl hopes.

2 – Offensive line struggles are real

The sequence at the end of the first quarter was revealing. Purdue ran seven plays from the Fresno State 5-yard-line or closer before finally scoring a TD on the eighth. It was an exasperating series that featured Boilermaker runs of 1, 0, -1, 0, 0 and 1 yard.

And then there was this: In the fourth quarter, Devin Mockobee was stuffed at the 1-yard line for no gain on fourth-and goal. Oooffff.

“From a players’ standpoint, have to come up with a better short-yardage plan,” said Walters. “I think we had four opportunities to extend drives that were two yards or less and came away with no yards. Definitely have to be better on third downs on both sides of the ball.”

The expected return of center Josh Kaltenberger should help. Still, this front has to get a more consistent push. If this line can’t create space vs. a Mountain West team, how will it fare vs. a Big Ten foe?

3 – Hudson Card looks like the real deal

Yes, his numbers weren’t eye-popping. Still, the Texas transfer did a nice job and generally lived up to the hype in his debut.

Card hit 57 percent of his passes for 254 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Plus, he ran six times for 29 yards. He can scoot. It will be interesting to see if more designed carries are called.

“You saw flashes of what he’s capable of doing both with his arm and his legs,” said Walters. “We’ve got to do a better job of protecting him and giving him an opportunity to stand in there and deliver accurate and confident throws.”

Two questions

1 – How good is safety Dillon Thieneman?

Really good. The true freshman began to create a buzz when he arrived early for spring drills. And that has continued into the fall. Last week, he played 76 of 84 defensive snaps, making a team-high 10 tackles. He also had an impressive INT that set up a Purdue touchdown. Thieneman graded well in coverage. Oh, and he played special teams, too.

“I was very, very pleased and excited for him, but I wasn’t surprised,” said Walters.

Thieneman is a future star. I think we all can see that.

2 – Will Purdue get better on third downs?

How much of a struggle was it in the loss to Fresno State on Saturday? Purdue was 2-of-11 on third downs (18 percent), while the Bulldogs were 11-of-17 (65 percent). It could be argued that’s where the 39-35 game was decided.

“You look at the game in its totality, and I think that kind of told the story,” said Walters. “Obviously, time of possession was very heavily favored in Fresno State’s direction (36:09 Fresno State; 23:38 Purdue) …

“We’ve got to come up with a better plan schematically, and then we’ve got to play with confidence and pay attention to details so that we can execute.”

MORE: First Look | First and 10 | Gold and Black Radio: Purdue pushes ahead after Game 1 loss | Purdue looks for improvement, victory when it treks to raucous Virginia Tech | Three Thoughts From The Weekend: Purdue defensive personnel, Ross-Ade and more

One prediction: TE Garrett Miller will play this week

I think we will see the fifth-year senior, who was scratched for last week’s game vs. Fresno State. It was a bit of a surprise, as Miller had missed all of 2022 recovering from a knee injury suffered in training camp. It was believed he’d be ready for the opener.

Caution has been used in nursing Miller back. Everyone recovers at varying rates, and every injury is different. And there also is the mental aspect as to how people handle injury and recovery. Purdue felt it had the depth to absorb not having Miller last week. But the absence of fellow TE Paul Piferi thinned the ranks even more, as redshirt freshman Max Klare got the start vs. Fresno State.

This offense needs the the skill-set of Miller, who is the top NFL prospect on the roster. He can be a real weapon on third downs and in the red zone, as Payne Durham was.

The post The 3-2-1: Danger! Non-conference road game ahead appeared first on On3.