Purdue completed its first scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday afternoon, which brought fruitful results in the eyes of head coach Ryan Walters. While he could not name a winner or loser from the intra-squad matchup, Walters was pleased with what he saw in Ross-Ade Stadium.
"We kind of accomplished what we wanted to accomplish," Walters said on Monday afternoon. "Saw lot of clean football, a lot of competitive plays made, guys playing the ball the right way and how we want them to play. So I was happy with the work we got."
"It was Purdue on Purdue, you know what I mean? So guys made plays on both sides of the ball. Like I said, the plays that were made were competitive plays. I thought we tackled well, I thought we blocked well. I thought we covered and caught the ball well. So obviously, there's some things that need cleaned up, especially with some guys that haven't had a ton of reps, but from the first scrimmage standpoint I thought it was a good day," Walters said.
The Boilermakers used Saturday as an opportunity to give other players reps on offense and defense, while protecting the health of their stalwart contributors at the same time. With minor nicks and bruises beginning to stack up, Walters believes the philosophy will help Purdue in the long run.
"Stayed healthy coming out of that, and that was a main key. Obviously, dealt with a little bit of banged up guys, and so to be able to give our stalwart guys a chance to have two days of rest, I think it was beneficial in the long term," Walters said.
Saturday's scrimmage flowing smoothly, for the most part, was indicative of how Purdue's fall camp has gone thus far. Despite adding fresh faces to the roster, both via the portal and high school ranks, the group has come together as Walters and the staff expected.
That, paired with not having to coach effort, is what's made for a successful camp in West Lafayette to kick off year two of the Walters era.
"I think the thing that I've been most pleased with is guys approaching every day the way we want them to approach it. You're not having to coach effort, you're not having to coach communication, you're not having to coach physicality and guys learning how to compete at a high level while still taking care of each other," Walters said.
"The way we've operated through 10 practices is definitely what our staff had envisioned," Walters said. "We haven't had any adversity yet in terms of playing a game, but when we talk about the team makeup and good teams that I've been a part of, what it looks like in the locker room, you see that with these guys."
While camp and the first ten practices of the year have gone to plan, the Boilermakers have still dealt with slight injury worries before the start of the season. Walters provided an update on several players that have been absent from practice over the last couple of weeks.
The most notable of those updates were less optimistic, as the Purdue head coach revealed that wide receiver CJ Smith and cornerback Nyland Green would both miss the season opener against Indiana State on August 31st.
"CJ Smith had a hamstring. Not as bad as we initially thought, and he has responded very well to treatment. So, he'll miss that first game. Luckily, we got a bye week after that and and the goal is to get him back for Notre Dame. That's a very real possibility, but bottom line is we're not going to bring him back until he's ready," Walters said of Smith.
"Nyland got his foot stepped on. He's got a non-surgical injury to his foot, which is a blessing. It could have been a lot worse. You know, he will miss that first game, but again, we got the bye week. You can't tell him that he's questionable for Notre Dame. In his mind, he's playing in that," Walters said of Green.
Additionally, he confirmed Boiler Upload's report from the first week of camp that JUCO offensive lineman Rod Green would miss the entire season after off-season surgery.
Aside from the negative outlook for those three players, Walters had some optimism for other Boilermakers that have been dealing with various minor ailments.
Despite not having practice this fall, defensive lineman Joe Anderson and wide receiver Kam Brown are expected to be ready for the start of the season. Projected starting left tackle Corey Stewart is dealing with an MCL sprain, but will be back in pads later this week or early next week. Two other players expected to be key contributors, wide receiver Jayden Dixon-Veal and defensive back Anthony Brown will also be available for the season-opener at the end of the month.
With minor injuries and seeing what his team has after Saturday's scrimmage, Walters wasn't so sure the Boilermakers would have another scrimmage before the first game of the season. Walters is open to other possibilities if he believes the time is better spent elsewhere, for a multitude of reasons.
"Depends, I got to adapt and adjust to the roster. If we need it, we will. If we don't, I won't. I'm not doing things just because that's the way I've seen it done since I've been in this profession," Walters said.
