Jeff Brohm of the Purdue Boilermakers has now coached against both the Wisconsin Badgers and the Minnesota Golden Gophers. It is true that in a 40-second audio clip, one can’t learn everything one needs to know about the Badgers and Golden Gophers, but it is nevertheless interesting to hear what Brohm had to say.
You can watch and listen to the clip and see for yourself:
Jeff Brohm has faced Minnesota and Wisconsin.
How does the Purdue coach see the de facto B1G West title game playing out? pic.twitter.com/kVLz3Q8hvx
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 25, 2019
What is notable in the clip:
1) “Minnesota’s a big, physical team.” The Gophers play with pace have fast receivers, but Brohm focused first on Minnesota’s physicality, and how the offensive line sets up everything for P.J. Fleck’s attack. Wisconsin and Minnesota offer two very different offensive styles, but they can both be rooted in the same principles, line play being number one. Brohm could have said that Minnesota is a fast, versatile team (and it is), but he led with its physical nature instead. That gets one’s attention.
2) “Their run-pass play-action stuff has been very effective for them, with two outstanding receivers.” Hmmm. Was this intentional? I doubt it. It was probably an innocent and perfectly earnest way of praising Rashod Bateman and Tyler Johnson, Minnesota’s two best receivers. I don’t think there was some deeper, hidden intent on Brohm’s part. Nevertheless, Minnesota has more than two outstanding receivers. Chris Autman-Bell has made acrobatic and important plays for the Gophers this season. He is no slouch as a third option. Brohm might be saying, though, that dealing with Bateman and Johnson clearly takes precedence in trying to contain the Minnesota passing attack, which is a reasonable-enough statement to make (or imply).
3) “Who can get out to a lead first and control the tempo will definitely help their chances of winning.” I think this is spot-on from Purdue’s head coach. Once Wisconsin established its offense against Purdue, the Boilermakers couldn’t stop it. Minnesota also scored 38 points against Purdue and was difficult for the Boilers to defend. More relevant to the upcoming game between Wisconsin and Minnesota is the simple reality that Wisconsin’s offense is not built to come back from a 14-point deficit. A one-score deficit isn’t cause for (excessive) concern, but yes, if one team gets a multi-score lead, that team has to love its chances.
This isn’t the Big 12, you know.