Washington faces off this week against another struggling two-win B1G team. This time it’s Purdue at home. Let’s dive into their offense and see how they could challenge the Huskies defensively this Saturday.
By the Numbers
Points per game: 19.4 (#111)
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Rushing yards per game: 128.8 (#92)
QB sacked percentage: 4.76% (#45)
Passing yards per game: 225.7 (#71)
Seconds per play: 24.5 (#29)
Third down conversion: 36% (#95)
Average time of possession: 26min 24sec (#131)
Key Players
RB Devon Mockobee would have been this offense’s star player if not for a season ending injury suffered three weeks ago. In his four year Purdue career he’d rushed for nearly 3,000 yards and 23 touchdowns. They were 2-5 and 0-4 in B1G play when he got hurt, so who knows what actual impact he was having. But, he was their one true home run threat in the backfield. They’ve now gone to a committee approach with the duo of Antonio Harris (44 carries, 251 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Malachi Thomas (43 carries, 221 yards, 0 touchdowns). Backup QB Malachi Singleton – a duel threat transfer from Arkansas – has been helping the ground game with 37 carries for 182 yards. Overall, the run game has been decent without Mockobee, albeit much less explosive.
Now on to the actual QB, Ryan Browne. The 6-4 and 210 pound player is in his third year in the program and is a strong and athletic runner at the position. On the season he has 47 designed rushing attempts for 254 yards and four touchdowns. He isn’t afraid to lower this shoulder and has a bit more wiggle than you would expect for someone his size. On the other hand, he’s fumbled five times. Passing, he’s completing 60.5% of passes 1,898 yards, nine touchdowns, and eight interceptions. PFF notes nine “big time throws” and 11 turnover worthy plays. He’s a high ceiling player who has some explosive ability, but just makes too many mistakes and doesn’t get enough help around him. Once he starts throwing more than 10 yards downfield, his numbers take a nose dive. But, it’s ultimately the mistakes that doom him: he had three red zone interceptions against USC, threw a fourth quarter pick six against Minnesota, and had another turnover in the final minutes against Rutgers. Both Minnesota and Rutgers were absolutely winnable games at the end, adding to the sting.
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At receiver, they are struggling. As a unit, they are second in the B1G in dropped passes with 23. WR Michael Jackson III is the leader with 53 catches for 471 yards and a touchdown and he’ll mostly line up outside. First team all name teamer WR Nitro Tuggle is the relative deep threat outside, with 13+ yard average depth of target. It’s an odd case with the Purdue receivers – as a group they have the same number of contested catches as they do drops.
Last but not least, the offensive line is actually not half bad, all things considered.
The Scheme
This is a quick passing and RPO heavy scheme to take advantage of Browne’s strengths as a signal caller. They’ll try to get vertical with deep passes down the sidelines occasionally, but they just don’t have the receiver talent to win enough of the 50/50 balls. They move at a decent pace.
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When it’s at its best, this offense avoids turnovers and lets Browne make plays with his legs, with a few completed passes for good measure. They scored 30 on Notre Dame, so it’s possible for them to get into the end zone against a talented defense. But, most other games it’s been a slog.
Final Thoughts
This is a team that seemingly can’t get out of it’s own way on offense. Turnovers, dropped passes and mistakes have plagued this team all year. They seem to be playing hard and keeping many games closer for longer than opposing teams would like. They only average about five penalties per game, which is a decent number good for 30th in the nation. Digging a little deeper, they average around three penalties per game at home, but it jumps up to seven when on the road.
Clearly after last week you should be aware that no game in this conference is a guaranteed win. Like Wisconsin, Purdue is desperate for a win and playing hard for their coach. However, I think the Boilermakers have too much to overcome offensively (penalties on the road, drops, turnovers, and general lack of playmakers) that Washington should be able to score enough, even if it’s just 21 or 24 points, to win the game.
