Wisconsin's 2018 season is still a few months away, but it's never too early to get the inside scoop on the teams the Badgers will square off against this fall.
The Badgers will make another trip to West Lafayette for a game against Purdue on Nov. 17, so we asked Stacy Clardie of GoldandBlack.com a few questions about what the Badgers should expect to see from the Boilermakers in year two under head coach Jeff Brohm.
Our questions and Stacy's answers are included below.
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Illinois: Beat Writer Preview / 5 Numbers To Know
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I don’t think anyone who wasn’t around Purdue’s program in the run-up to their 2017 season expected the Jeff Brohm era to start off on a high note like that, with the Boilermakers making the postseason and finishing with a 7-6 record after their win over Arizona. Now that the season is in the rear-view mirror, were there any signs that you saw early on that Purdue was ripe for a quick turnaround? Or did their performance in 2017 catch you off guard too?
Stacy Clardie: In our preseason magazine, I picked Purdue to win three games — and I usually add an extra victory than what I really think, just to be nice. So, yes, I think it caught most people off guard, and that includes the coaches. Jeff Brohm always was careful how he phrased his responses — he never called it a "rebuild" — but he consistently used the word "challenge." I think he had confidence in his ability to coach and motivate and his coaching staff's as well, but not sure anyone saw a bowl game coming in Year 1. Having said that, late in the season many of the players pointed back to that Week 1 game against Louisville in Lucas Oil Stadium — a loss, but a very close one — as the point they knew they could accomplish big things that season. Though there were many downs in Brohm's first year — that loss at Rutgers was a shocker and, nearly, doomed the season — the resilience and incredible ability for this team to finish, with a quarterback playing on a torn ACL, was remarkable.
From an outsider’s perspective it seemed like Brohm and his offensive staff were able to get their system working from the get-go. Was the offense we saw in 2017 a good example of what Purdue’s offense will look like moving forward, or will Brohm and his staff keep adding wrinkles as they continue to recruit their own players to West Lafayette?
Stacy Clardie: Purdue's offense averaged more yards and more points than pre-Brohm, but the offense Purdue ran to do it was not Brohm's ideal one. Maybe one could argue it was trending that way toward the end of the season because outside receiver Anthony Mahoungou emerged as a deep-play threat, but Brohm's best-case scenario offense will be loaded with speedy, dynamic receivers who consistently generate big plays. He didn't have that last season, and he likely won't have that this season either. The running back room is loaded with talent, but Brohm will admit he'd prefer only to use the run as a balance to the pass, not the other way around. Trick plays always will be a staple, but even those almost started to get stale toward of the end of the season. Brohm's perfect offense is more about the concepts and route combinations that capitalize on every defense — and it'll take time still for the quarterbacks and receivers, etc., to fully get in sync in that regard.
Purdue’s offense and defense both took big steps forward in 2017, but I think there’s an argument to be made that they took a bigger step forward on defense overall. Was that your impression as well? What changed that allowed the Boilermakers to make that step?
Stacy Clardie: There is no doubt the defense was the storyline for 2017. The Boilermakers hadn't been able to stop the run in a decade — and we're talking allowing 200-plus yards per game — and there were no reasons to think that'd change in Nick Holt's first season as play-caller because Purdue had largely the same personnel. But Holt made some tweaks — moving Gelen Robinson from end to tackle, helping to clog up the interior, shifting the team's most athletic linebacker (Markus Bailey) from inside to outside with the arrival of run-stuffing graduate transfer T.J. McCollum, slipping linebacker Danny Ezechukwu to a pass-rushing stand-up end. And Holt's defensive scheme was masterful. It's geared to stop the run with an incredibly aggressive approach that typically brought a safety in the box and focused on those interior linemen holding their gaps to allow the linebackers to not have to shed blocks as often before making plays. Holt was aggressive in his play-calling, too, especially on third down, mixing up coverages and blitzes that allowed Purdue to get more pressure with its front seven than it had in years. Still kind of boggled that Purdue didn't nominate Holt for the Broyles Award — few coaches produced such a dramatic change as he did with Purdue's defense.
What’s one big question mark about the 2018 team that they will need to figure out in the fall before they start playing games?
Stacy Clardie: That great defense? It got wiped out by graduation and departures. Seven starters plus the top two reserves in the front seven are gone, and filling those spots are, largely, first- and second-year players who have little to no experience on Saturdays. The spring was important in that regard, allowing those redshirt freshmen and sophomores to gain, at least, first-team experience in practices, but that entire unit has a long way to go for Purdue's defense to even come close to regaining 2017 form.
(The offense has its question marks, too. For one, who's the quarterback? After playing both David Blough and Elijah Sindelar for the first half of the season, Brohm opted to stick with Blough. And Blough promptly went out and suffered a season-ending ankle injury. That meant Sindelar was the man and then he tore the ACL in his left knee in the first half against Northwestern. But kept playing. Sindelar didn't miss a snap and had ridiculous numbers despite the injury — completing 60 percent of his passes for 1,192 yards and 12 touchdowns to only two interceptions in three-and-a-half games. Not sure which way Brohm will go there, considering both are veterans guys who have had production in games and can help Purdue win.)
What’s a reasonable expectation for the Boilermakers in 2018? Is it crazy to think they could contend for a division title? Or do they need another year or two of recruiting players that fit this coaching staff’s offensive and defensive schemes?
Stacy Clardie: Purdue probably is at least a year — maybe two — away from challenging for a division title. Especially with the schedule this season that includes Missouri at home and Ohio State back in the Big Ten rotation. The defense has young players with potential, but they haven't proven they can perform in games. The offense doesn't have enough no-doubt playmakers on the perimeter. Having said that, Brohm and his staff proved last season they can do the seeming impossible — one player called last season "storybook," even though it was a 7-6 year — so it's hard to doubt them at this point.
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John Veldhuis covers Wisconsin football, basketball and recruiting for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnVeldhuis.
