Purdue Football: Film Room – 22 Personnel

New offensive coordinator Jason Simmons has a few options buried in the Graham Harrell playbook I’d like to see unearthed.

On Monday I talked about Purdue’s offense moving forward. You can find it here. I’ll be referring to it in this article.

Much like Purdue, I’m limited to the Harrell playbook, but it does allow me to return to last season to look for solutions on offense. Normally I get deeper into the plays in these articles, but I want to get a couple out today now that the internet and power are both up and reliable in Athens.

Don’t worry, if you like the longer versions, they will return next week.

22 Personnel

Last season, 2 of Purdue’s top 3 weapons on offense were running backs Tyrone Tracy and Devin Mockobee. Through 4 games this season, 2 of Purdue’s top 3 weapons on offense are running backs Reggie Love and Devin Mockobee. Purdue needs to find a way to get them both on the field. At the same time, the wide receiver position is decimated with injuries and it’s clear Card doesn’t trust / have a feel for the young guys.

This formation sacrifices two wide receivers for an extra running back and an extra tight end.

Blue Box – Running Back

Green Circle – Tight End

Purdue has 22 personnel (2 backs, 2 tights, 1 WR) in the playbook and have the players to run it.

Read Option

Hudson Card is reading the defensive end (#41 purple triangle on the end of the line). If he crashes down the line, the read is for Card to pull the ball and sneak out the back door. If the end stays put, the ball goes to Mockobee on an outside run.

An easy tell is the ends number. If you can see it from this camera angle, the quarterback should keep the ball. If you can’t see the number, it should be a give. On this play, you can see the number.

Extra Blocker

The frustrating thing about Graham Harrell was/is that this is a great play design. Individually, I like his plays, but he struggled (to use the word lightly) to string them together in a coherent manner.

Card (yellow circle) has the ball. Tracy, (blue box, bottom of screen) went in motion across the formation for a specific purpose, Indiana is playing zone defense. That means a defensive back is waiting on the outside. Bringing Tracy across the formation gives Purdue an extra backside blocker to keep the defense back from killing the quarterback.

This is a great play call.

Wide Open Lane

Card is a good athlete, but not great natural runner. He does a good job of seeing the hole but doesn’t pick his feet up and gets pulled down by a shoestring. This is blocked up for a touchdown but ends in a 15-yard gain. Stil, I haven’t seen a Purdue runner in this sort of space all season.

What Does This Look Like in 2024?

Motion Back – Reggie Love III or Elijah Jackson

Running Back – Devin Mockobee or Reggie Love III

Quarterback – Hudson Card or Ryan Browne

Strong Side Tight End – Max Klare or Drew Biber or Tayvion Galloway or Ben Furtney

Weak Side Tight End – Max Klare or Drew Biber or Tayvion Galloway or Ben Furtney

One thing I’d like to see out of Jason Simmons is better utilization of the roster. Purdue needs speed on the field, and they have a blazing fast running back either hanging out on the sideline or trotting out to not watch the ball go into the endzone on a kickoff. Putting Elijah Jackson in as the “move” running back (essentially a slot receiver) is one way to get some extra speed on the field.

This is also I play I like for any sort of Ryan Browne package of plays if they want to save wear and tear on Card. Browne is the better runner of the two.

Getting two tight ends on the field could be an issue. Klare and Biber are both better receivers than blockers. Tayvion Galloway would be an interesting addition to the lineup, and I see no reason, unless he’s injured, why he shouldn’t be on the field. Like Jackson, it’s frustrating to see a talented player on the bench while the offense struggles to pick up first downs. I see no reason to hold his redshirt.

The other option is getting fullback Ben Furtney more run. He’s the best blocker of the group, although putting him in the game could be a tell for the defense. I’d use that to my advantage and put him on the wide side on this play, to further encourage the defense to flow that direction.

Overall

One way to spark an offense is to get the quarterback involved in the run game. I think Purdue has babied Hudson Card in the first 4 games because Harrell intended this to be a pass first offense. Without C.J. Smith and Jahmal Edrine, that’s not going to work. Time to stop worrying about Card taking hits that might hinder his play in the future and focus on doing whatever necessary to pick up yards.