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WEST LAFAYETTE – After completing only five passes in a 37-0 loss at Wisconsin, Purdue quarterback Joey Elliott couldn’t wait to practice Sunday.
He was glad the coaches had a passing session drill and liked the way he and the receivers responded.
Elliott said he completed 14 of 15 passes. The incompletion was just a good play by the defense, he said.
That’s encouraging – and not just for Elliott.
Purdue had nine dropped passes Saturday, according to coach Danny Hope.
“A lot of people had question marks at the beginning of the season how we were going to put up points with our offense, and our offense has responded really well throughout the season until that last game,” said Elliott, who was 5 of 23 for 59 yards and threw an interception before being pulled in the second half. “We were rated in every category at the top of the Big Ten offensively. A lot of people didn’t see that coming.
“We just slipped (against Wisconsin). We snowballed. We didn’t see that coming. We just have to get back to work and focus on the details.”
Purdue is fifth in the Big Ten is passing yards (228 yards per game).
Neither Elliott nor Hope is considering a carryover to Saturday when Purdue (3-6, 2-3 Big Ten) plays at Michigan (5-4, 1-4).
Elliott admitted he started pressing against the Badgers after the slow start and that only compounded the problem, he said.
Elliott’s previous low totals for completions and yards this season – his first starting in college – were against Illinois with 15 completions and 166 yards. That was one week before Wisconsin.
Still, Hope has no doubts Elliott will rebound.
“He’s always done a great job of bouncing back of any adversity we’ve had all along,” Hope said. “I think he’s handled every aspect of that (starting) role well all season long. Then when things haven’t gone our way, the next play, he’s ready to go. I don’t anticipate anything any different. He’s a great competitor, strong-willed and prepares himself.
“He was the perfect quarterback for us this year. You could have had a guy that may or may have not been more talented or may or may not have had starting experience but would not have had the resilience that he has. I think that’s really made a difference in our football team and our football season. Being competitive on Saturdays, his makeup has been a huge part of that.”
To make sure there’s not a repeat sluggish offensive performance, Hope and the staff will earmark specific areas of improvement in practice this week.
Already on Sunday, coaches brought out the “jugs” machine, the mechanical passer that shoots balls out to work on receiving. Hope joked they cranked it up to “2,000.” During the week, Hope said the team will focus on throwing-and-catching with the quarterback in the pocket. He said receivers ran sloppy routes and weren’t in sync with Elliott.
“I don’t want to just blow it off and say it was a bad Saturday (against Wisconsin). That’s too easy,” Hope said. “You have to address what you didn’t do well and go out there and really focus on it. We don’t just disregard it, but it’s not something you continue to harp on. It’s not a negative thing. It has to be constructive or you’re not building, you’re taking apart.”
