Penn State will face a hobbled Purdue team this weekend as the Boilermakers head to State College without starting quarterback Elijah Sindelar and do-it-all speedster Rondale Moore.
Both hurt on the same play last weekend in a 38-31 loss to Minnesota, Sindelar will miss the remainder of the season following surgery for a broken clavicle while Moore -who suffered an undisclosed leg injury- could return this season, but that determination has yet to be made according to Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm.
Redshirt freshman Jack Plummer will start at quarterback this weekend for Purdue.
‘He’s very intelligent,’ Brohm said on Monday. ‘And yes, he picks things up very quickly and he has a great grasp of what we are doing. He has very good knowledge. You know, the things he just has to work on is just getting some experience out there on the playing field. I think driving the football and throwing it with conviction a little bit more can help him.’
‘But you know, with Jack, and really, our quarterback position, we’ve got to get better around him. So you know, fortunately for us he was able to make a few plays with his feet when he needed to and that gave us a spark. He competed and played hard to the end, and that was great to see.’
The loss of Moore takes one of the nation’s premiere playmakers off the field and out of Penn State’s defensive game plan. Moore had 29 receptions for 387 yards so far this season. He finished last year with just over 1,200 receiving yards including 12 catches for 170 yards in an upset of Ohio State.
Penn State will be glad for a slightly easier looking opponent come this Saturday, but it is a loss to all of college football for a player like Moore to miss time, and a blow to Purdue’s season to lose both him and Sindelar.
