September 10, 2005
Boilers Lock Zips
On a steamy, SEC-worthy late summer day in West Lafayette, 13th-ranked Purdue out-muscled an Akron Zips squad that showed surprising creativity on the offensive side of the ball, but didn't have the stamina to smash hats with Purdue's combined ground and air threats for all four quarters. Experienced junior Brandon Kirsch made his first start in the post-Orton era for the Boilers, posting reasonable numbers (22-34, 252yds, 2 TD) but failing to impress me with any throwing accuracy beyond screen and slant range. Kirsch overthrew and hyper-extended his receivers on several sure completions; even when a nice pass play connected, first-game rust meant an inevitable penalty brought the play back, such as a 40 yard shot to Ray Williams in the 2nd quarter that was negated by — wait for it — illegal formation. Hopefully Purdue doesn't start its season this late again.
Akron's got itself a gutsy, mobile QB in Pitt transfer Luke Getsy. Purdue just could not get adequate pressure on him (some credit to the Zips' line?) through the first half and he made smart decisions when hurried, either scrambling out of bounds or throwing the ball away when well out of the pocket. He's an accurate long passer, had more attempts for more yards than Kirsch (25-44, 283yds, 2 TD) and Akron's Jason Montgomery seems to be a readymade target (5 catches, 154yds, 3 TD).
I don't think Tiller opened his new playbook very wide; I think he's sandbagging on what's available for opponent game film study until at least next week's clash with Arizona in Tucson. Of the new plays Purdue ran, however, some eye-opening pitches and double options were almost always good for about six yards and a a flash of fumble anxiety (Purdue did commit a turnover on a dropped pitch to Dorien Bryant in the 3rd quarter). After watching Purdue struggle against option-oriented teams for so many years it was kind of refreshing to see us keep someone else guessing. This offense is definitely better suited to a scrambler like Kirsch whose deep route accuracy problems remain an essay question, not an equation, for the solving.
I also think Purdue managed three, maybe four illegal formation penalties; a fan sitting in front of me thinks that RBs Jones and Void, both backs experienced with Orton, aren't used to Kirsch's cadence. I thought to myself, "that's a great observation," and sure enough I posted it right here.
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