Is Purdue...Trending Up?

Purdue went to Nashville and beat Tennessee 48-45 in overtime to finish 9-4 on the season. It caps off a season that started with minuscule optimism, big time highs and the all too familiar feeling of 'here we go again.' Two top five wins, a blowout loss to Wisconsin and letting the game against Minnesota slip away kept Boilermaker fans unsure of what this team was. After the Iowa win I wrote that coach Brohm needed to win when it was expected and we saw letdowns. However, the bowl win has Purdue in a position they haven't been since under Joe Tiller, trending up.

Back in the Music City Bowl, no Purdue fan had forgotten what happened last time Brohm took a team lacking depth against and SEC school, but shorthanded he still pulled off a huge win. I wouldn't say it's Brohm's greatest Boilermaker win, especially after a pair of top five wins this season, but without his two NFL players and a very depleted WR depth chart the Boilermakers outscored the Volunteers 41-24 after the first quarter to win in extra time. Admittedly, with a little controversy, but Aidan O'Connell came up with big play after big play to come out on top of the shootout. Yes, you can raise questions about the forward progress call on 4th and Goal, but sloppy play and questionable play calling cost Tennessee.

It was a historical year statistically, including the nine wins, and finished with a bowl win over an SEC school. While Tennessee didn't have a great defense you will always take, what was essentially a home game, win against and SEC opponent. AOC still threw for 534 yards and five scores without David Bell and Milton Wright. Brohm showed his offensive coaching ability and will have AOC back next season with reinforcements to the receiving corps.

Purdue finished 29th at season's end, will have two more players be high NFL draft picks, and has really started to make waves in the transfer portal. While the 2022 recruiting class doesn't seem to have the same impact players as classes previously (two 4* recruits, ranked 38th on 247sports and 28th on Rivals), Brohm's staff continues to supplement the team with transfers. More could be heading to West Lafayette as well with a bowl win, a lot of stability on the staff, 29th finish and the QB returning.

The running game struggled all season, and is losing Alexander Horvath, but now gets former Hoosier (and 4* RB) Sampson James who wasn't eligible this season. Already coach Brohm has added OL Sione Finau transferred from FIU, after being named a Conference USA All-Freshman player. 6'3'' WR Elijah Canion is coming to West Lafayette from Auburn, Kansas State CB Tee Denson, Tyrone Tracy WR from Iowa and former Indiana Mr. Football CB Reese Taylor jumps from IU to Purdue. An inexperienced OL, WR help, two corners and a big time RB add reinforcements to the old gold and black.

A couple of Boilers have announced their decision to go pro, and losing Bell and Karlaftis will of course hurt, but there are only nine seniors on the two deep roster. What we saw against Tennessee was the depth Brohm and his staff have been able to build and the ability to pull off a win against a solid opponent without their top end NFL talent. While the coach's seat may have been a little warm entering the 2021 season, he cooled it off in a big way and put Purdue football in a position to build to heights not seen since basketball on turf.

I don't want to get carried away because being a Purdue fan means knowing the shoe could drop at any time, just see basketball, but Brohm showed his offensive coaching ability, beat two top five teams and the roster he has built that has this team trending up. Purdue was in contention for the Big Ten West this year and shouldn't fall from that spot. There aren't a ton of seniors, AOC will man the QB spot again, the defense showed major improvement this season and this is the type of season that can build recruiting and transfer momentum, which we've already seen for Purdue in season's past.

It's tough to carry hope long for Purdue football, especially after the tenure's of Danny Hope and Darrell Hazell, but Boilermaker fans should have it. Brohm is 2-1 in bowl games, got the team ranked in the top 25 (snapping the longest power 5 drought), has signed the second highest recruiting class in program history while retooling the program, is 5-9 (0-3 in year one) against the top 25 and is 28-29 in his five seasons at the head of Purdue. His seat was warm because the momentum from the first two years had fallen off, but this year didn't feel like a fluke and should be built on for years to come.