QB controversy for Tiller and Boilermakers?
If there’s one thing a spread offense needs, it’s a solid leader at the QB position. One luxury that Spartan fans have had recently is knowing who the starting quarterback would be every week (assuming there are no injuries, knock on wood.) Purdue head coach Joe Tiller seems unsure about who his starter is heading into this weekend as the Boilermakers find themselves winless in the Big Ten (0-5) and with no chance of having a winning season (2-6). Boilerstation.com reports that even with no bowl game left to play for, Tiller must choose between getting experience for newcomer Curtis Painter, or sticking with veteran QB Brandon Kirsch.
With the Boilermakers now assured of not playing in a bowl game and finishing with a losing record, will that decision be based on playing the redshirt freshman, Painter, with an eye to the future? Or will it be based on playing the junior, Kirsch, who started the first six games, with the idea of getting him back on track and ready for next season?
“Good question,” Tiller said. “I think that you base your decision on the fact that you know what Brandon Kirsch can do. And you’re not quite sure what Curtis Painter can do. So you give Painter more reps, with the hopes that kind of unmuddies the water, so to speak. And then you make your call.
“We’re going to stay the course, and continue to feed Painter the lion’s share of the snaps. Now, who the guy’s going to be, we’ll decide at the end of the week.”
Most fans have been surprised by Purdue’s record (2-6) after several prognosticator’s had the Boilermakers as their darkhorse pick to win the Big Ten due to not having to play Ohio State or Michigan this season. The Indianapolis Star reports that Joe Tiller is not surprised about how the season has gone and now believes that he should have reined in preseason expectations a bit heading into the season.
“It’s not a total surprise to me,” Tiller said of the Boilers, who won’t play in a bowl game for the first time since 1996 after falling to 2-6 (0-5 in the Big Ten) Saturday with a loss at Penn State.
Purdue had all 11 starters back from a good 2004 defense, and 17 starters overall from a team that went 7-5 and lost those five games by a combined 14 points.
Most preseason publications picked the Boilers to finish 8-3 or better. The Star picked them to go 10-1.
But Tiller noted that quarterback Brandon Kirsch was the full-time starter for the first time.