Mike Carmin, Lafayette Journal & Courier
Wed, September 28, 2022
Florida Atlantic totaled 76 snaps in last week’s game against the Boilermakers.
Cornerbacks Jamari Brown and Cory Trice were in the lineup on every play. That’s not a good thing.
While Brown and Trice are veterans and have plenty of experience, the lack of depth at the position could prove costly as the season continues. Reese Taylor, who started the first three games opposite of Trice, didn’t suit up against the Owls, leaving the secondary short-handed.
Brown and Trice, who is coming off knee surgery, each had one pass breakup but didn’t get any help from the bench.
“It was a little bit much,” Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said. “We've got to figure out ways to get relief for them. We've asked them to do a whole lot in one-on-one coverage, which I think we're going to have to figure out ways to get better answers for that as well because they were getting tired.”
Whether Taylor returns against the Golden Gophers remains to be seen. Brohm said sophomore Brandon Calloway and Bryce Hampton, a transfer from Adams State, are possible options.
“Building depth is important,” Brohm said. “Gaining the trust of your players to be put out there is important. There's a lot of things we've got to work on there.”
The Boilermakers will face one of the Big Ten’s top quarterbacks in terms of efficiency on Saturday and the secondary needs to show significant improvement.
Tanner Morgan, who will play against Purdue for the fifth time in his career, is completing 77.2% of his passes with seven touchdowns and one interception.
Morgan has played mainly in the first half of the first four games since the Gophers have built large leads. He’s attempted 61 of his 79 passes before halftime against New Mexico State, Western Illinois, Colorado and Michigan State. However, he’s 16 of 17 in the third quarter with three TD passes.
The sixth-year quarterback has tormented the Boilermakers throughout his career. He’s completing 66.7% of his passes for 968 yards and six touchdowns and one interception in the previous four meetings.
“He does a great job in their system,” Brohm said. “He's very smart. He can throw an accurate football. He knows how to run their offense, which is let's be big and physical in the run game and run them against the looks that we can over and over again, and then when they start to cheat and try to play the pass, they have enough run pass RPO options and enough play actions off of it that it allows him time to make throws.”
Kirk Ciarrocca returned to the program as coach P.J. Fleck’s offensive coordinator after stops at Penn State and West Virginia. Ciarrocca was Minnesota’s OC from 2017 through 2019, spending two seasons with Morgan.
“They're back this year with the new coordinator doing even more than what they had done in the past, which has been very effective,” Brohm said. "They've just got really big linemen and big tight ends and a sound running game.
“They make you bleed. They make you bleed, and if you don't find a way to bandage it up or do something to strike back, it can be a long death.”
www.yahoo.com
Wed, September 28, 2022
Florida Atlantic totaled 76 snaps in last week’s game against the Boilermakers.
Cornerbacks Jamari Brown and Cory Trice were in the lineup on every play. That’s not a good thing.
While Brown and Trice are veterans and have plenty of experience, the lack of depth at the position could prove costly as the season continues. Reese Taylor, who started the first three games opposite of Trice, didn’t suit up against the Owls, leaving the secondary short-handed.
Brown and Trice, who is coming off knee surgery, each had one pass breakup but didn’t get any help from the bench.
“It was a little bit much,” Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said. “We've got to figure out ways to get relief for them. We've asked them to do a whole lot in one-on-one coverage, which I think we're going to have to figure out ways to get better answers for that as well because they were getting tired.”
Whether Taylor returns against the Golden Gophers remains to be seen. Brohm said sophomore Brandon Calloway and Bryce Hampton, a transfer from Adams State, are possible options.
“Building depth is important,” Brohm said. “Gaining the trust of your players to be put out there is important. There's a lot of things we've got to work on there.”
The Boilermakers will face one of the Big Ten’s top quarterbacks in terms of efficiency on Saturday and the secondary needs to show significant improvement.
Tanner Morgan, who will play against Purdue for the fifth time in his career, is completing 77.2% of his passes with seven touchdowns and one interception.
Morgan has played mainly in the first half of the first four games since the Gophers have built large leads. He’s attempted 61 of his 79 passes before halftime against New Mexico State, Western Illinois, Colorado and Michigan State. However, he’s 16 of 17 in the third quarter with three TD passes.
The sixth-year quarterback has tormented the Boilermakers throughout his career. He’s completing 66.7% of his passes for 968 yards and six touchdowns and one interception in the previous four meetings.
“He does a great job in their system,” Brohm said. “He's very smart. He can throw an accurate football. He knows how to run their offense, which is let's be big and physical in the run game and run them against the looks that we can over and over again, and then when they start to cheat and try to play the pass, they have enough run pass RPO options and enough play actions off of it that it allows him time to make throws.”
Kirk Ciarrocca returned to the program as coach P.J. Fleck’s offensive coordinator after stops at Penn State and West Virginia. Ciarrocca was Minnesota’s OC from 2017 through 2019, spending two seasons with Morgan.
“They're back this year with the new coordinator doing even more than what they had done in the past, which has been very effective,” Brohm said. "They've just got really big linemen and big tight ends and a sound running game.
“They make you bleed. They make you bleed, and if you don't find a way to bandage it up or do something to strike back, it can be a long death.”
Tracking Purdue's defense: Lack of depth at cornerback starting to show up
The Boilermakers face one of the Big Ten's most efficient quarterbacks Saturday in Minnesota's Tanner Morgan
