PURDUE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 21, 2022

Jeff Brohm

Press Conference

JEFF BROHM: I think we got a big week ahead of us. Rivalry game against IU. Not only do our players know the meaning of this rivalry, but obviously our fans do. It's at their place. They're coming off a big win at Michigan State, and we have to have a good week of practice, and like always, get better, continue to try to find a way to improve, and eliminate mistakes, become more efficient, and try to finish this regular season as strong as we can.

Indiana went with an athletic this past game and was able to run the football effectively. Was able to quarterback run the ball quite a bit as well and gave them a spark, so we definitely have to prepare for that, as well as the ability to put in other quarterbacks when they need to. So that will be the challenge for us.

Defensively they have ten senior starters. They know the scheme, they know the system, and they played a lot of close games, so we have to make sure we're ready to go.

Q. Jeff, what are you most proud of this team so far?

JEFF BROHM: Well, I'm very proud of our team because they do work hard, they do everything they can to try to improve each and every week and find a way to win. Some weeks we find a way to look really, really good; other week we find a way to just survive.

But that's part of college football. I think they're able to take constructive criticism and find ways to improve and stick together. I think they're a hungry group, so I'm proud of the effort they've given us.

I hope that continues throughout this next game.

Q. What did you think Aidan O'Connell legacy will be?

JEFF BROHM: I think Aidan has really gone above and beyond to prove his worth. He started at the bottom and worked all the way up to the top, and that's not easy to do. He took a lot of chances, a lot of risk to get where he is. He has put in a lot of hard work. He has been a great teammate. He never complains. He continues to do what he can to help the team win. I just think that it's a great story that not many people will take that chance or that risk because the odds are stacked against you. He did, and he achieved a lot of success with it.

So very proud of him. I think it comes from he's got a great family. He is well grounded. He's a great example of a Purdue Boilermaker.

Q. We talked a little bit after the game about the penalty on Jalen Graham. Have you ever seen it called before? What are your thoughts on the application of it? And did you talk to Jalen at all?

JEFF BROHM: Well, you know, while it was a subtle change in his gait and stride, it does state in the rule that if you change your gait or stride they can throw a flag.

Now, I don't think Jalen intentionally was trying to do that, but he did, and we got a penalty. It hurt us without question. We can't have it happen.

Yes, we want to make sure that all of our players understand all the rules, that we can't have that happen. Have I seen more things happen that didn't get called? Yes, I have, but, you know, it was called and we have to deal with it and make better decisions.

Q. Will we see Gus Hartwig the rest of the year? If not, who will snap the ball on Saturday?

JEFF BROHM: No, unfortunately Gus suffered a substantial injury. Be in a cast on his lower extremity for the next couple weeks and have surgery and be out for an extended period. So we appreciate all the great play he's given us to this point and all the hard work, because he has played through a lot of other injuries as well.

He was a leader of our offensive line, a great snapper, smart, tough, and in-state recruit that came and want to make a difference. Unfortunately he got rolled up during the game and got injured.

So we'll get him back healthy, but it will take quite a bit of time.

And what was the last question?

Q. Will you start Spencer or Josh at center?

JEFF BROHM: I think Josh will probably get the nod at center. He came in and played. He's our best snapper. He's just got to continue to improve and get better at the position.

And then Spencer will back him up, and also Malachi, a true freshman who has been traveling with us to all the games will be ready to go.

So we'll have the ability to use any of those three.

Q. Any update on Devin Mockobee?

JEFF BROHM: Devin unfortunately got dinged early in the game and he's going through the protocol you have to go through. I don't know, you know, what the status of him will be come game time. We'll hopefully see later in the week.

Q. Obviously feel good about Dylan and Kobe going in if for some reason Devin can't play.

JEFF BROHM: Well, both those guys have played a lot of football, Dylan and Kobe, and they play hard, they work hard. Different type of runners, so we got to make sure we call as many plays that we feel comfortable that they can have success with.

But I think they'll work hard and they'll rise to the occasion and be ready to go for us.

Q. With Jalen, did he play some linebacker for you on Saturday, Jalen Graham?

JEFF BROHM: That's what he plays for us.

Q. Well, he kind of moves around a lot, but he seemed to be in a different position...

JEFF BROHM: You know what? You are correct. So Jalen is our hybrid outside linebacker nickel position. So with him, we can use him against regular run sets and spread sets and not have to bring in a bigger body to play linebacker to stop the run.

Now, with that said, not to give away what we're doing, but you noticed it, and he has moved around, and on certain calls -- I don't want to give everything away -- he'll move to a spot, whether we think it's pass or run. So he has done that a few times; you are correct.

Q. He seemed to be in the middle of the linebackers.

JEFF BROHM: Like I said, there are certain calls -- because the one he picked off was in the middle. Not to give it away, but if we anticipate what we think is being called we will move him around slightly to better suit the call.

Q. Kieren come out of Saturday's game okay, and would be he available for this week?

JEFF BROHM: You know what? He played. Really didn't want to come out. He's injured. Not many people would play with what he has. He came out as good as you can come out. Yes, he's very, very sore, and we will get him as healthy as we can come game time.

I'm going to assume he's going to go unless something comes up without a lot of practice.

Q. How did the linebacker group hold up on Saturday?

JEFF BROHM: You know, Kieren had tackles and productivity. OC Brothers continues to get better. That's been good to see. Jacob Wahlberg got in there. Want to see him continue to improve and be a guy we can count on for the future. Semisi got in some snaps. Once again, when he's in the right spot at the right time he can hit and tackle, so we need him to finish the season strong for us.

Q. Five years in this rivalry, what have you learned about this in-state battle?

JEFF BROHM: Well, I think it's always a really good football game, and, you know, a lot of players on our team are from in-state. Maybe not as many from Indiana, but there are some. A lot of guys know each other.

Any time you get to play against your buddies and people that you grew up with or you played with or against makes it more meaningful. Of course, our fans are a big part of this, and you always want to go out on a good note with a win.

In these type of games, doesn't matter what your record is. Anybody can win the football game. I know the game we lost a couple years ago they had a really, really good, talented team. They were playing well. We were not playing so well. Took them three overtimes to beat us, and that was at our stadium.

Now we got to go to their stadium, and they're coming off a big win where they made some adjustments and changes and sparked them to win. I'm sure they'll have a few other things up their sleeves and be ready to go.

If we don't match that preparation and intensity, we'll be the ones leaving with a frown on our face.

Q. Josh Kaltenberger, kind of recount his recruiting story, how you got him here. Did you always earmark him as a center type player for you?

JEFF BROHM: Well, Josh is from Pennsylvania and came to our camp. You know, he looks the part. Got really good size. Actually strong in the weight room. Great young man. Comes from a good family.

You know, what you weren't sure of was maybe how great of an athlete is he going to be and the potential that he has, but he's smart. He can really snap the football effectively, which is very important. We want to continue to see him get better at playing fast, making calls, reacting to movement up front.

That's where some things can happen where he needs to continue to improve at. But he stepped in in a critical situation and did an admirable job. I think he'll continue to improve. He knows we need him. He's got to get it done for us. I think he'll take pride in that. He's been a great teammate and he fits in well.

Q. Earlier in the year you struggled dealing with running quarterbacks. I think Florida Atlantic comes to mind; Syracuse a little bit. Where has your defense maybe improved in that area as you face a big challenge on Saturday?

JEFF BROHM: I thought we made improvements the last two teams without question on defense. We've made some adjustments. I think they've all been beneficial. This past week we knew they had a wildcat package ready, and I think other than that one time where they did it in a slightly different personnel, we had a call ready and we shut it down.

I do think we're better equipped and prepared for it. If you watch Indiana's last game they had some runs for their quarterback and some reads in certain sets and it was effective, and then started to get a little stale.

Then they started to spread the field more and do it in a different way and hit a couple other big runs. So they have multiple ways to run the quarterback, and when you have that type of athlete in the game and you can complete two passes during the game and you beat Michigan State at Michigan State, you're obviously doing a lot of things correctly.

We have to have a wide variety of calls ready against the different personnel sets they have when it's a tighter box with a lot of the blockers and when it's a wider set with a lot more space, because they have the ability to change it and it was effective for them.

That's going to be the challenge for us, is making sure we have a good plan for all those different scenarios, because I do think we have made strides in the subtle ways we've seen it.

But they have taken it to a, hey, this is the full ballgame, we have a running quarterback in there, and you have to defend it. That's not easy to do.

We have to really prepare hard and make sure we have a plan for that, and then have a plan if they want to pass or if they put a passing is quarterback in as well.

Q. Will Branson Deen be able this week?

JEFF BROHM: More than likely not, but we'll see as the week goes on.

Q. If you don't play in the Big10 championship game, what does next week look like for you? Is it recruiting? Does that start for and you your staff? What happens next week?

JEFF BROHM: Well, they changed the rules in recruiting, and in my opinion, they changed it for the Ohio States of the world, so it fits their plan better.

But they changed the recruiting to where now you cannot go on the road right away. You have to wait until the Friday after the last regular season game. For us, that's when we will first hit the road and get out and recruit.

Q. You mentioned Malachi earlier. What have you seen from him as a true freshman offensive linemen to work his way to a point to where you feel comfortable putting him out there if his name needs to be called?

JEFF BROHM: Well, Malachi has traveled with us every game, home and away. I think he's a good athlete. He's, like every true freshman coming in, been disappointed he hasn't played, so he has had to adjust to that. But his time is going to come. It could be this week. It could be whenever. He has to make sure he's ready to go.

I think he's bright eyed. He likes football. He likes to compete. He has some toughness. We just got to continue to put him in as much live action as we can to et him ready to go so that so he's used to the speed of the game once we get to it.

Q. Then when comes to preparing for Indiana, they have good special teams pieces, a dynamic returner who has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns this season. Had one last week against Michigan State. Punter that can flip the field when the offense isn't clicking. How do you go into this week preparing for that and making sure that that aspect of the game isn't something that is a key factor for them?

JEFF BROHM: Well, we definitely have to prepare hard for this. They did a really good job on special teams. Got big plays. We've got to continue to improve. I thought we got better in certain elements this past week, even though we had the one punt blocked.

Some other areas we got better at covering and getting down the speed and using our speed and athleticism. This week will be critical that we don't allow the big plays, we find a way to gain an edge like always. Defensively they give you a lot of different looks. Bring guys from all over. Play a lot of combo coverages. Try to force you into making mistakes.

So we have to be sharp, and, you know, it's always important to play good team football in all three segments. In this league if all three aren't doing their part, you're not going to win.

Q. Are you going to watch the Nebraska at Iowa game?

JEFF BROHM: I know it's Friday. I don't know what time the game is. I'm sure as we're traveling it'll pop on people's phone, things like that.

But as you know, we have got a big one ahead of us in a rivalry game that means a lot, so we have to just focus on that.

Q. It seems like you've been getting Nic Caraway on the field a little bit more here later in the season. What have you seen from him?

JEFF BROHM: We really, really like Nic. He has done a great job for a true freshman. We are trying to get him on the field as much as we can. Without question, as this week and even beyond, he'll continue to get more action.

And then I think he can be a phenomenal player; a difference maker; a guy that has a bright future; a guy that can -- right now loves to compete. He loves football. He loves to hit. You know, at the end of the game he's putting himself on special teams, going up to our coach and making sure that he's not coming off or making sure that he wants to go on and someone else come of, because he's ready to go hit somebody.

He just plays with great effort and he has great talent as well and he works really hard. I think he has a chance to be an outstanding player for us.

Q. Sydnor has done some positive things this year. Do you look at those guys as a nice building block for the future defensive lines?

JEFF BROHM: I think we've made strides on the defensive line. We have developed depth. Got more bodies. We've taken more recruits as commits at that position. We've committed to it and we will always try to do that.

But we have definitely made strides there. A lot of guys have played football, so they're experience level has gone up. We are able to rotate guys in, and Khordae has definitely stood out and done a really good job.

I feel good that as we analyze our roster at the end of the year, that's a position that doesn't need as much immediate help at all.

There are some other position that we feel like we'll probably have to make sure we address, but the defensive line has developed a good nucleus of quite a few guys. Even though we had injuries, we have been able to sustain pretty productive play at that spot.

Q. Among the freshmen this year who didn't play, any of those guys stand out in the redshirt years as guys you're especially enthusiastic about moving forward long-term?

JEFF BROHM: Well, if you mention some names, I'm trying to think. Right now I think Joe Strickland has made a lot of strides and will be a good player for us. Got sick with mono that wiped him out quite a bit and dropped a lot of weight.

Brady Allen continues to improve as a good young prospect. Max Klare at tight end has a chance to do a really good job for us. Zion Steptoe has made strides at receiver as well. I'm trying to think. And there is probably more.

But we spent quite a bit of time with them on Sunday getting them a little bit extra work. A lot of those guys go on the service team and go against our ones in practice, so they've got a chance to work against our best unit.

So it's important that we continue to develop them. Those are probably the main leaders and there are probably a few others that are getting better that I left out.

I think we got a good crew that's just got to work harder throughout the remainder of the season and make sure they really utilize spring ball to get better.