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WEST LAFAYETTE – Purdue football offensive coordinator Graham Harrell went from figuratively trying to get inside Hudson Card’s head to physically being in his quarterback’s ear on every snap.
College football’s new NFL-style helmet communication rules allow limited communication between coach and player. Harrell, though, won’t be able to talk Card through every situation.
That’s where the second-year starter’s fluency with the offense needs to pay off. Coming out of the summer into preseason camp, Harrell noticed a new perspective from his fellow Texan. Card is quicker to make suggestions and admit when he missed a read.
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“He does a really good job understanding what we’re trying to do on each play,” Harrell said. “And I think he sees it through a similar lens as the coaching staff, and that’s important.”
Just as Purdue’s defense sees benefits of beginning a second season in coach Ryan Walters’ system. Card and Harrell recognize the upside of a second year together. Card said he has already been entrusted with more freedom at the line of scrimmage. It’s an indication of a still-growing connection between coach and player.
“That’s where you make that big step into Year 2 with the coaching staff,” Card said. “It’s one of the details with the offense where you kind of gain each other’s trust and develop. Now I’m able to check runs and even check some pass plays. It’s been fun, and I’m just grateful to have coach Harrell to trust me and have that relationship with him.”
Card belongs to a small group as a returning Big Ten starter. Only five others can say that, although Aidan Chiles did start in coach Jonathan Smith’s system at Oregon State last…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/purdue-footballs-qb-connection-grows-224522857.html
Author : Indianapolis Star
Publish date : 2024-08-01 22:45:22
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