Elliott ready to start anew against Michigan
>>Print ViewPublication Date: 11/05/2009
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Joey Elliott and the Purdue passing attack are trying to regroup this week after the Boilers’ passing game imploded against Wisconsin.
The senior quarterback is coming off, statistically, the worst game of his career. He completed just 5 of 23 passes for 59 yards, was sacked three times and threw one interception in Purdue’s 37-0 loss at Wisconsin. Elliott wasn’t helped by what coach Danny Hope said were nine drops by Purdue receivers.
“He was a little antsier in the pocket than he needed to be,” Hope said. “We protected pretty well. A couple times they got on the edge of us some, but that’s going to happen. But he just didn’t play as well as he has.
“We didn’t catch the football very well. Some of the passes weren’t quite as accurate, and we didn’t catch the ball very good, and that really impacted the game.”
Elliott and the Boilers were tops in the Big Ten in several passing categories prior to the beat down, including passing efficiency. He’s now No. 10 in the league, with an efficiency rating of 121.9.
“We’re ranked in every category at the top of the Big Ten, offensively - a lot people didn’t see that coming,” Elliott said Tuesday. “We just have to get back to work ... focus back up on the details and get ready for this Saturday.”
Getting back in the flow with the passing game is exactly what Elliott and the receivers practiced on Sunday, the first-year starter said. After having Monday as the team’s weekly day off, he expected they would continue to work on passing for the rest of the week.
This week the Boilers face a Michigan defense that is No. 6 in the Big Ten in pass defense, allowing 220 yards per contest. The Wolverines’ Donovan Warren is third in the league in pass breakups, as he is one of just six athletes averaging more than one per game at 1.11.
“That’s exactly what we did on Sunday during the offensive pass session: a lot of pitching and catching,” he said. “We came back and got right back to work. A lot of people had question marks at the beginning of the season, how we were going to put up points on offense, and we responded really well through the whole season so far - up to that last game.”
Purdue and Michigan kick off at noon Saturday in Ann Arbor, Michigan.