Louisville job opening looms over Purdue
If there’s a bright side to Purdue’s subpar performance in its 41-10 loss at Minnesota last Saturday, it’s that few Boilermaker fans are really focused on the outcome.
That’s because Louisville fired coach Bobby Petrino after a season that has seen both players and fans appear to lose interest in the program. Since Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm grew up in the city and played for the Cardinals, and because he’s had a lot more success in the past two years at Purdue than Petrino had at Louisville, it doesn’t take a genius to start speculating that the attraction between Brohm and his alma mater would be mutual.
“I’ve heard the noise just like everyone else,” Brohm said. “I think unfortunately it’s important for me to not comment on any speculation right now. I have a job, and we’ve got work to do, and a lot of it. We’re going to put forth the effort to do that. We’ve got a tough opponent this week, and then we’ve got to go to IU, and we’re going to have to play well, and we’re going to have to play much better than we did last week.
“I’m going to stay focused on that, and very appreciative of the job I have right now.”
This isn’t anything new for the program; Brohm was considered to be a hot candidate to change jobs last offseason as well. But like last year, Brohm doesn’t intend to get bogged down in the conversation.
“I think unfortunately the best thing to do, and no one wants to hear that, is just to not comment on speculation,” Brohm said. “I think when things happen, it’s important to be honest and forthright, but at the same time, to just comment on things that are being said and happening I don’t think is right. Our guys and our team understand that I’m going to be truthful and honest, and I want to win, and I want our guys to win, and we’ve got plenty of work to do this week.”
Hard work is definitely needed. It’s Senior Week at Purdue, and the opponent isn’t one that anyone on the roster has had a lot of success against. Purdue has a 12-game losing streak against Wisconsin, and the Badgers have won the last seven meetings between the teams at Ross-Ade Stadium.
“They’ve been great leaders. They’ve gone through a lot, even before I got here,” Brohm said of his seniors. “It’s great to find a way to win a few meaningful ballgames for them. Hopefully we can try to finish the season strong. I think that’s important. I think all of our guys have an ultimate goal to advance, and we’ve got plenty of work left to do to do that, and we owe it to our seniors to play hard, to work hard, to improve.”