Purdue Football: Film Room – Something that could work on Saturday

I’m tasked with writing the preview for this game and I’m trying to think of something that’s a little more useful or at least fun to read.

Ohio State will beat Purdue on Saturday.

It’s going to be bad.

We already know that.

A preview of the various ways the Buckeyes will dismantle Boilermakers is not something I want to write, and I doubt it’s something you all want to read. Maybe I’m wrong, but I have some decent data to support this theory.

Instead of focusing on the negative, I’m going to look at some things the Boilermakers can do on Saturday to make the game more entertaining. This will be the first article in a series.

Continue attacking downfield

This is tough, Ohio State can bring the heat without having to blitz, but Card does a pretty good job of getting passes under pressure.

I liked the toughness and willingness to attack downfield on this play, and I would like to see them use CJ Smith in a similar manner against the Buckeyes. Physically, he can keep up with Ohio State’s cornerbacks.

We got a glimpse of why Smith was a portal priority for Purdue, and I want more.

There are no “readings” for this piece. It’s designed to help CJ Smith (green circle) bust the ball, as Card has to release him long before he’s “open.”

This is an easy pre-snap read for Hudson. Once the defender (green circle) begins following Smith through the formation, he knows where he is going with the ball. This is what I like from the Purdue offense. They found a pair they liked and went for it. This was a staple of Jeff Brohm’s offense during his time at West Lafayette. I assure you; Purdue’s wide receivers didn’t lead the Big 10 in receptions multiple times under Brohm because the QB happened to notice that David Bell or Charlie Jones were open. Brohm designs his routes to free up a specific player. Sometimes it comes down to your man making a play, and that can happen if you don’t give it up and give him a chance.

Purdue needs to find a way to create “chunk” plays on offense. They’re not good enough to last 10-12 scoring games without something catastrophic happening. One way to achieve this is with a double move. As you can see, Smith looks like he’s running all the way to the posts. He needs to make sure the defender gets close enough to allow a foot race as he turns this into a back and forth.

Card doesn’t look anywhere else; that is the piece. Either it hits or it doesn’t. I saw this dynamic several times on Saturday, and I think it’s one of the reasons Card played his best game of the season (he was the highest-rated Big 10 quarterback last week, according to Pro Football Focus).

When the line struggles with pass protection, scanning the field and making reads isn’t an option, and what’s more, Card isn’t particularly good at it either. There’s nothing to read about this play, it’s just that he throws the ball before the linebacker cuts it in half.

Card has what he wants, but has to throw it to Smith (upper right corner) without going in because Northwestern brings both linebackers.

When I say Card has arm talent, I mean it, because this is all about the shoulder and wrist.

Notice at the top of the screen that Smith isn’t exactly open, but Purdue brought him in because he’s making plays. He’s a “when he’s equal, he goes away” type of athlete and will run faster in most corners on this track. That’s what was missing in this offense. Smith changed the dynamics of the passing game and gave Card a true downfield weapon, even though the Georgia transfer was dealing with a soft tissue injury for most of the game.

With the rush in his face, Card flat-footed it forward and took it 33 yards further down the field. If he has wiggle room on this throw, it could go the distance. Smith has his man beaten down the sideline but has to come back to get the ball.

This is a play that has victimized the Purdue defense all season. The coverage is good, but because the ball is short the defender cannot find it. Smith had a chance to open the game on a similar play and dropped a much easier pass. This time he goes up, shoots the ball up and rips it away from the flailing defender.

Against Ohio State

As I mentioned above, Purdue needs chunk plays, and Ohio State will give them the opportunity to make plays against man coverage. When Card gets Smith in man coverage, he has to find him and release him, like he does on this play.

The Buckeyes won’t give him time to make multiple decisions, it will be about identifying targets before the snap and hoping they get targeted. When he faces Ohio State for the second time, several 5-star defensive linemen will be fighting over who gets to sack him first. He has to find the look he wants before the snap and the ball has to come out as soon as it hits his back foot.

That’s exactly what happened in this game and it gave Purdue one of their most explosive plays of the season. Of course, this situation could also lead to Card misreading the pre-snap, but that’s the risk you have to take to stay in the game against Ohio State. Every second you keep the ball behind the line of scrimmage is one second closer to a strip sack.