Purdue's Brohm just wants to have fun

Sep 12, 2017 - 7:16 AM Two games is far too short to judge a coaching change, but one thing seems clear about Purdue football under Jeff Brohm -- it's a lot more fun, for the players and the fans.

The Boilermakers followed a close loss to Louisville with a blowout of Ohio University. After the win over the Bobcats, the amount of enjoyment that players seemed to be having popped up in the postgame interviews, and Brohm addressed it again in his weekly press conference.

"I believe in having fun. I think if you have fun, you're going to want to work even harder," Brohm said. "Without question, I want the atmosphere to be one that our coaches enjoy coaching in, our players enjoy coming over to the building, working hard, getting better. As far as style of play, I want to make it fun and entertaining for anyone who's watching. I think that's what it's all about."

Purdue's offense, which has roared through the first two weeks, on Saturday will take on a Missouri team that just fired its defensive coordinator two games into the year. The Tigers finished last in total defense in the SEC in 2016, and allowed 43 points to FCS foe Missouri State in the 2017 opener.

"I think any time you go on the road, it's always a challenge," Brohm said.

"They can score points. They can challenge our defense. We kind of understand that. We've got to make sure we're doing our part to put them in a great position, but then they've got to go out and play their tails off, execute, try to do the small things."

Brohm has been pleased with what he's seen through two games, as have the fans. But it's tough not to notice that the schedule gets much more difficult once Big Ten play begins, and there's a long way to go yet in 2017.

"We're two for two on (showing good effort) with 10 games left. We'll see," Brohm said.

"I like everything they've done to this point. They've worked extremely hard in practice. They've played hard in the game. They've had good effort. They've been into it. But every week is a new week. We try to emphasize it's a one-game season. You have to re-prove yourself. No one cares what you did last week.

"You have to try to raise your level of play, make sure you're elevating your game every week. If not, you're cheating yourself and your teammates."

--RB Tario Fuller had just 29 yards rushing against Louisville in the season opener, but broke out for 142 yards on 16 carries against Ohio. The Boilermakers remain deep in the backfield even with Markell Jones injured, but Fuller should get the first crack at carries this week.

--DB Josh Okonye has been as advertised in the Boilermaker secondary. The Wake Forest transfer broke up another pass and had four tackles against Ohio. Missouri has one of the most prolific offenses in the country through the season's first two games, however, and Okonye will be tested by Tigers quarterback Drew Lock and the quick-strike, big-play offense he presents.

--QB David Blough has already had an up-and-down career at Purdue, and he's just two games into his sophomore season. But he came off the bench to complete 11 of 13 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns against Ohio, and may find himself back in the starting lineup this week against Missouri. Regardless of that, both he and Elijah Sindelar will play.