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Spring opponent review: Purdue

Nebraska will travel to Purdue this year hoping to erase memories of their embarrassing loss in West Lafayette in 2015.

The Boilermakers will have a new coach in Jeff Brohm trying to get things turned around in 2017. HOL caught up with GoldandBlack.com's Stacy Cardie to get her take on Purdue coming out of the spring.

Previous Spring Opponent Reviews: Arkansas State | Oregon | Northern Illinois | Rutgers | Illinois | Wisconsin | Ohio State

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Spring overview

Brohm inherited quite an uphill battle, trying to get this Purdue team turned around in 2017. There's a lot of excitement though about his background on offense and the system he'll bring with him to West Lafayette.

However, Cardie said Brohm admitted multiple times this spring there is a lot of work on offense and defense that needs to be done for them to get to where they want to be. The Boildermakers also don't have the talent to be a consistent Big Ten team, and they need to improve their recruiting over the over the next few years under Brohm.

The big takeaway from Brohm this spring was they now have a better idea of what needs to get done going forward in order to get to where they want to be.

They will run a no-huddle, up-tempo offense eventually, but it may be a transition to get to that point. Brohm will do his best to work with the personnel he inherited and scheme them accordingly to win.

On defense, former USC and Washington defensive coordinator Nick Holt will be the defensive play caller and co-coordinator. They will be a primary zone coverage team out of multiple looks, and they look to be very aggressive with a lot of different blitz looks.

Returning starters

On defense Purdue returns 13 players that started at least one game in 2016, only one started all 12. They have seven players returning that started at least 7 games and nine that started in at least 5 games. Cardie said based on projections, they have a total of what she calls "seven" returning starters in 2017.

On offense, they have 10 guys returning that started at least one game, but in all reality only five of those 10 could be looked at as returning starters. They return their quarterback, running back, tight end, one offensive lineman and one receiver as key players with starting experience.

David Blough will once again be the leader of Purdue's offense in 2017
David Blough will once again be the leader of Purdue's offense in 2017 (Purdue)

Offensive star: QB David Blough

After beating Nebraska in 2015, quarterback David Blough has been the Boilermakers starting quarterback ever since.

He threw for 3,352 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2016, but also tossed 21 interceptions and was sacked 28 times. He has shown mobility at times, as he tied for the team lead with four rushing touchdowns in 2016. Blough will once again be looked at to lead this Purdue offense, which should have a much different look in 2017.

Defensive star: LB Markus Bailey 

Sophomore linebacker Markus Bailey will be looked at to lead this Purdue defense in 2017. As a redshirt freshman he led the Boilermakers in both tackles and interceptions. That has only happened 10 times in school history.

He had 97 tackles and four interceptions and was one of the more productive defensive players in the Big Ten last season.

Defensive end Antoine Miles emerged as a surprise player this spring for Purdue.
Defensive end Antoine Miles emerged as a surprise player this spring for Purdue. (GoldandBlack.com)

Spring surprise: DE Antoine Miles 

Over the course of his career defensive end Antoine Miles has not played a significant snap for the Boilermakers.

However, this spring he is in position to be a starter, as he took all the No. 1 reps. He's a perfect fit in Holt's defense where they want the defensive end to be more of a hybrid player.

Best position battle: Running back

Both last year's starter Markell Jones (616 yards) and their 2015 starter D.J. Knox (409) yards return for Purdue. Jones battled injuries at times last season, while Knox missed all of 2016 with a knee injury.

Jones kind of took the job over the last year, but Knox came back this spring and has looked very strong for the Boilermakers. He was able to cut very well coming off his knee injury. That will be a position battle that continues into Fall Camp.

Biggest question: How long will it take for  Brohm's culture to take hold 

Brohm made it clear this spring he's looking for a certain type of player to build the culture he wants going forward. How long this process takes remains to be seen.

You are going to see some attrition over the next year as this process takes place, which is common with any transition.

Early outlook on Purdue vs. Nebraska

Cardie: "I think that's the eighth game of Purdue's season, and their schedule up to that point is very difficult. They have Louisville, Missouri and Michigan very early. I think we talk about this every year, but if Purdue is 1-7 or 2-5 going into that game what is it going to mean?

"Last year seemed liked anomaly the way that game happened. I would find it difficult for Purdue to match anything. I just don't think they are going to have a very good start to the season, so by the time they get to Nebraska it's going to be hard to know where they are at. I would expect Nebraska though come in ready to play after what happened last time."

Overall 2017 win-loss expectation

Cardie: "I think 2 to 3 wins is what's realistic. If you just look at the schedule, it's probably the worst case scenario as far as schedule. You bring Michigan on the schedule, then they play at Wisconsin and at Iowa. I think it's going to be difficult to get to 4 wins this year. You really hope you can start by getting one in your opener against Ohio. A lot hinges on that Ohio game, because if you can't beat them in the season opener on a Friday night under the lights, that might be pretty telling how your season might go."

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