It feels like no?
This week, with news from Ryan Walters that Purdue would likely be playing both Hudson Card and Ryan Browne this week I asked the staff if they thought this type of system could work. The complete question, and their answers, are below.
With the news that Purdue will likely play both Hudson Card and Ryan Browne against Northwestern my question is, can that work? Please provide more than a yes or no answer.
Ledman:
It does feel like it’s possible that it works but you’ve got to be smart about it. Card is a better passer and Browne is a better runner, but if you bring in Card for passing downs and Browne in obvious running situations it won’t do much of anything. You’ve got to be a bit more sophisticated so that the defense doesn’t know what’s coming based on who is receiving the snap. Can Ryan Walters and the offensive staff come up with a game plan that leaves the defense guessing? I’d like to think so, and certainly both quarterbacks are talented and can make plays. Plus, it’s not like Ryan Browne can’t pass or that Hudson Card can’t run.
So I guess my answer is a tentative yes, it can work, but that the players need to be put into positions to succeed but that has not been the strong suit of this staff over the last two years.
Jed:
If we are looking at this from a strictly schematic perspective, I don’t see the advantage that this holds in any way. This isn’t a situation where Card went down with an injury in the midst of having a really good season throwing the ball and making the receivers around him better. If anything, it was the complete opposite as Card had gone 47-87 throwing the ball for 57% with 465 total yards in the four games against FBS competition. That is an average of just 116.25 yards per game along with 3 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. To put that in perspective, that is only slightly better yardage than Army’s Bryson Daily had in that same span with 403 but on only 27 total attempts (he also has 5 touchdowns and 0 interceptions).
To be frank, Card shouldn’t see the field again this season. That is especially true as Purdue will not be making bowl eligibility and you are essentially trying to gauge what the program has for next season. Browne gives you the best possible option to be successful on offense and the performance at Illinois shows that. Even what Browne gave them against Oregon rushing for 48 yards allowed the running game to be successful.
If we are being totally honest about this program, Card has not been what we were sold when Walters took over as head coach. He is 5-12 as a starter in his career and had it not been for utterly terrible performances from Minnesota and Indiana to close the year in 2023, very well could be 3-14. With that in mind, I would be getting Marcos Davila as prepared as possible for the final three games against Penn State, Michigan State, and Indiana and providing him with opportunities to see him in game situations.
If Walters wants any hope of getting a third year as the head coach at Purdue, it isn’t going to be with Hudson Card as the signal caller this year or next. It is going to be getting Ryan Browne and Marcos Davila as ready for a competitive spring to vault them into the 2025 season.
Kyle:
There is an old saying, if you have two quarterbacks you have no quarterbacks.
I believe Purdue will lean mostly on one of the two quarterbacks, not rotate series or quarters. Maybe, it will be based on the situation, where Browne will be in on obvious rushing downs. But, after the offensive explosion against Illinois, Purdue quickly leveled back out on offense. Purdue has a chance to beat Northwestern, and my hope is they stay with the hot hand, and let Ryan Browne run the team.
Drew:
Yes, I think in this case, it has potential. Here’s some things to consider.
Hudson Card has struggled this season. I’ll talk about what I think that is in an actual article, but he still knows how to play football. At the same time there are some limiting factors in the supporting cast that makes his particular brand of football difficult to sustain over 4 quarters.
Ryan Browne played extremely well for a half against Illinois. He’s a big, athletic dude who can make some plays outside the offense. Illinois played into his hands by bringing pressure and letting him make plays scrambling around. Oregon sat back, played zone, put a spy on him, and he struggled to make the consistent reads necessary to beat that type of defense.
I expect Northwestern to play that type of defense.
Card and Browne have opposing strengths and weakness. Consider them the debtors prison version of Leak (Card) and Tebow (Browne). If Northwestern wants to sit in zone and spy the QB in the run game, Card is better suited to play that game. If they want to bring pressure and play man defense, Browne is the guy.
Card has struggled in the RedZone, and that’s a good place for Browne’s running to make a difference. Backed up to your own goal line, Cards experience is the way to go.
I’m not sure if it will work, but I can see how it could work better than going exclusively with one or the other.
Ryan:
Yes, it can work, but I am not a fan of it. I think you need to give the keys to one guy and gameplan around him. What really concerns me is if this turns into an Austin Burton situation where Browne is really only in to utilize his legs. Avoid that mistake and having two QB’s might work.