New Boilermaker quarterback
deserves an opportunity
As I walked across campus and sat in class on Tuesday,
I heard the same thing over and over from Purdue students who apparently
know all there is to know about college football.
You know exactly who I'm talking about — the
collection of campus arm-chair quarterbacks and "fair weather fans"
who critique the Boilers as if they're coach Joe Tiller. "Purdue's offense
sucked," I heard students say as they congregated at the bus stop. "It's
gonna be a long season with Hance at quarterback. Good thing the defense
bailed them out."
Let me tell you something — get off Hance's
back. There's only one Drew Brees, and everybody knows that, even Hance.
You shouldn't expect him to perform like Brees the first time he starts
a football game.
"Any quarterback in this offense, their first
games, especially coming after Drew (Brees), there’s gonna be a
lot of expectations," said senior tight end Tim Stratton. "Brandon (Hance)
just needs more experience, but he handled the pressure well. You're
gonna have mishaps in the first game."
Purdue fans have been spoiled the last three years.
Keep in mind that Brees was a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist, not
to mention the Big Ten's all-time leading passer and Purdue's record
holder in virtually every passing category. Those are some big shoes
to fill and it's not fair to demand the same results from Hance right
away.
Don't get me wrong. I'm glad that Purdue fans remained
loyal to the Brees-led Boilers through the wins and losses. But let's
not jump ship on our new skipper just yet.
Sure, the redshirt freshman only threw for 117
yards and the offense managed to score a mere 19 points against Cincinnati
on Sunday, the fewest in a victory under Tiller. But Hance accomplished
something in his first start that Brees didn't — he won the ballgame.
Who cares if the game had to come down to late
heroics by Akin Ayodele and Stu Schweigert? The defense wouldn't have
had it any other way. Plus, situations like that will make the defense
more prepared for the Big Ten season. After all, the defense is expected
to be the team's strong point this season, and it is. The offense will
come along with time, and the defensive players like the challenge.
Hance did do some good things that went virtually
unnoticed by the "Purdue faithful," however. Instead of forcing passes
into tight coverage, he either scrambled with the football or took a
sack. If you noticed, he didn't throw any interceptions in his debut.
That's a sign that he's mentally tough. And he seemed unfazed by the
several hits he took, especially the two blatant cheap shots by Cincinnati
defenders that warranted roughing the passer penalties.
Plus, it doesn't take an All-American quarterback
to run the offense efficiently. Billy Dicken led Purdue to a 9-3 record
and a 33-20 victory over Oklahoma State in the 1997 Alamo Bowl.
But before you turn your back on Hance, let me
give you an idea of how thick the Purdue play book is. Tiller and the
coaching staff have only put in 70 percent of the offense to simplify
things. And although he's been here for more than a year and half practicing,
you can't replace actual game experience. It takes time, but things
are going to get better.
"You’ve got to make a lot of reads each
play, probably about six or seven on any single play," said Stratton.
"It's definitely not an easy job."
Give Hance some credit because he was learning
the offense when most people were worried about who they were going
to take to the high school prom. He busted his butt to graduate early
from high school so he could get a jump-start on learning the offense
in the spring of his senior year of high school. He also studied the
offense under Brees last year as a redshirt.
Hance has been in charge of the offense since spring
practice.
"Everybody respects him on the offense and defense
because he's a leader and he has a great work ethic," said sophomore
defensive end Shaun Phillips.
If he can gain his teammates trust, why is it so
hard for the so-called loyal fans to refrain from bad-mouthing Purdue's
young quarterback?
Whether you like Hance or not, you better start
to because he will likely be the starter until he graduates in 2005.
Listen. Hance knows he can do a better job and
he will do better. Just give him a few games for him to settle down
and the offense to come along.
"He'll be alright," said Phillips. "(Hance) said
every mistake he made was easily correctable. They've (the students)
just got to give him a chance."
It's not too much to ask. Be patient, and you'll
be glad you took a chance on Hance. If he's good enough for Tiller,
he should be good enough for you.
Doug Healey is a junior in the School of Liberal
Arts. He can be e-mailed at sports@purdueexponent.org.
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