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The list has been made and tucked away in a folder.
Danny Hope made sure to sit down with his coaching staff after Purdue’s season ended, intent on gathering to discuss and dissect what must be better in 2010.
After the recruiting push is done in February, Hope and his staff will reconvene in March to evaluate the team further. But Hope thought it was important to meet now while the 2009 season was fresh.
Hope liked the progress that was made in his first season as head coach for the Boilermakers. The team won only five games, losing five by seven points or less, but registered streak-breaking victories: winning at Michigan Stadium for the first time since 1966, winning on the road for the first time since 2007 (11 games) and beating a ranked team for the first time since 2003 (19 games).
But it was the mistakes – 29 turnovers, consistent gaffes on special teams, missed tackles early, among other things – that were the topics of discussion in the postseason meeting.
“It’s not hard for me not to look back and reflect and play the what-if game,” Hope said. “It might be for some others, but where you’re at is not near as important as where you’re going. We’ve got some great plans, and I think we laid some great groundwork.
“Looking back on it, we could have won eight, nine, 10 ballgames. We weren’t ready to, but we could have. So these things we weren’t good at, we made a list of those things and we’re going to get good at them. We’ll still go out there and play hard and play with a lot of heart and hang our hat on the same intangibles of the program but just try to execute a little better.”
Talent returns in perhaps the team’s two best players: defensive end Ryan Kerrigan (Big Ten-leading 13 sacks) and receiver Keith Smith (Big Ten-leading 91 catches, 1,100 yards). But there are voids to fill, too. Perhaps the biggest concerns are the secondary and quarterback.
Purdue will have to replace four senior starters in the secondary. Albert Evans, whom Hope said played like a starter, likely will be the leader of the group at safety. Underclassmen could fill the rest of the spots.
On offense, the most important position will need to be filled for the second consecutive year.
Miami transfer Robert Marve and sophomore Caleb TerBush would seem to be the top options at quarterback. Marve has starting experience but is coming off a knee injury. TerBush played in only one game this season but got extended snaps in practice. It will help that all the quarterbacks worked with quarterbacks coach and coordinator Gary Nord for a full season.
“It is starting over, but it’s not starting over completely,” Hope said. “We’re going to compete for it, like we do at every position. Being a line coach so long, I’m not quite so enamored by that quarterback-derby thing that everybody likes to write about.
“There’s some real potential there. There’s going to be some legitimate competition to allow those guys to compete for that position. No one is going to get a nod until we get them out there and give them a chance and see where they’re at, and we’ll go based on their performances in practice and their development.”
