WEST LAFAYETTE – Purdue football quarterback Hudson Card‘s season-opening performance came with a noticeable flaw.
As in literally one flaw, per offensive coordinator Graham Harrell’s game film scrutiny — and it came on a completion. Card chose to throw to running back Devin Mockobee too early in one progression, passing up a bigger opportunity elsewhere.
For shame.
Card completed an FBS record 24 of 25 passes in the season opener against Indiana State. Could have been 26 of 27, too, if not for two completions called back by Boilermakers holding penalties. Even the lone incompletion — a bomb over the top which fell a bit beyond receiver Jahmal Edrine — passed Harrell’s inspection as a good decision.
Card displayed the poise expected from a veteran quarterback facile in his offensive system. That frequency of correct live-fire assessments lends Harrell to believe his quarterback will hold up against more complicated challenges. Such as Saturday, when No. 19 Notre Dame brings what many consider one of the best secondaries in the nation to Ross-Ade Stadium.
“His understanding, his grasp of what we’re trying to do, his decision-making, the action of the football are all things that kind of snowballed into having the kind of performance he had the other night,” Harrell said.
Those attributes also have only improved in Card’s second year in the program. That could make a critical difference against a Notre Dame offense floundering after a 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois. Riley Leonard, in his second game after transferring from Duke, completed 20-of-32 pass for 165 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions.
That’s partially a positive reflection on Northern Illinois — a top-25 overall defense in 2023 which ranked in the top 10 in opposing quarterback rating. It also suggests Leonard and Notre Dame have not synched up to better than MAC-level consistency.
Purdue, on the other hand, watched Card extend momentum which began building last winter.
“He’s comfortable, man,” offensive lineman Marcus Mbow said. “Hudson’s always been a pretty good player in my eyes, and I feel like now he’s just more comfortable with the offense. He’s taking a bigger leadership position … just controlling the offense and doing what he’s got to do take over the game.”
Purdue recruited Card out of the transfer portal from Texas in December 2023 because it needed a starting quarterback immediately. (Card confirmed Notre Dame also made contact, though he never visited. The Irish instead utilize the final season of eligibility for former Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman.)
Card came to West Lafayette with two years of eligibility remaining. That allowed him to immediately upgrade the position in Year 1 and continue developing toward his ceiling in Year 2.
Some of the most successful transfer quarterback situations in recent years involved second-year breakouts. Consider:
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In his first season after transferring from Ohio State to LSU, Joe Burrow completed 57.8% of his passes and averaged 7.6 yards per attempt with a quarterback efficiency rating of 133.2. So roughly what Aidan O’Connell produced for Purdue in 2022. Second-year Burrow jumped to perhaps the greatest QB performance ever: 76.3% completions, 10.8 yards per attempt and a 202.0 rating.
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Baker Mayfield was really good in his first season after transferring from Texas Tech to Oklahoma (9.4 yards per attempt, 173.3 rating). He was insanely good in his second season: 11.1 yards/attempt and 196.4
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Bo Nix debuted with a solid season at Oregon after transferring from Auburn (8.8 Y/A, 165.7). He jumped up to Heisman Trophy contender in his second (9.6 Y/A, 188.3).
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Nix had no real shot at the Heisman, though, thanks to Jayden Daniels. The former Arizona State quarterback gave some indication of his talents in his first year at LSU: 7.5 Y/A, 144.5. Then he blew the doors off in his second season: 72.2% completions, 11.7 Y/A, 208.0.
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Look closely at quarterbacks who had strong first seasons at their transfer destination — including USC’s Caleb Williams and Washington’s Michael Penix — and you’ll see marginal improvements in those passing metrics.
Card would need a monumental improvement to be mentioned alongside the quarterbacks above. His repeat status in Harrell’s system, though, contributed to preseason optimisim about potential offensive improvement. No less than Drew Brees expected Card’s encore to surpass his debut.
So did Card. By the end of the summer, he saw the holistic benefits of his tenure taking shape, both in scheme and relationships. This week he said he feels more confident in everyone around him — and himself.
“I think having another year in the system does help.,” Card said. “Now I’m able to check in and out of things that I didn’t a year ago to get us in a better play. Any time you get an extra year under your belt in your system, you just have a little bit more confidence. I think that’s what I feel, and that’s what I think this team in general feels.”
Asking around the roster about Card’s growing influence, leadership come up a lot. It arguably matters most at quarterback. While strong first impressions in terms of charisma and on-field performance can go a long way, that trust typically builds organically over time.
That could become one of Purdue’s biggest assets in matchups such as Saturday’s. The Indiana State rout unfolded like a dream. Notre Dame could provide a cold splash of water to the face for an unsettling wake-up. With cornerback Benjamin Morrison and safety Xavier Watts leading the secondary and defensive tackle Howard Cross III leading the front, Card should expect a less stable pocket and cloudier view downfield.
Purdue can only win Saturday by confronting adversity, then overcoming it. Despite a losing season in 2023, the Boilermakers came into 2024 with fresh memories of Card lifting the offense. In season-ending victories over Minnesota and Indiana, Card completed 65% of his passes, averaged 8.9 yards per attempt and threw six touchdowns without an interception.
“He’s definitely one of those guys that, when he says something, everybody listens and respects it, because we know that he’s working hard, and he would never just ask us to do something that he wouldn’t do,” strong safety Antonio Stevens said. “He definitely has an effect on everybody on the field off the field. He’s a leader for sure.”
Contrast that message with the one circling South Bend after last week’s upset loss. Coach Marcus Freeman faced questions about whether he needed to consider other quarterback options only two games into Leonard’s term. (Then the program faced additional questions about Leonard’s health, as he reportedly needed an MRI on his non-throwing shoulder after the NIU loss.)
For the second straight year, Freeman went to the portal for a quick fix with one year available to elevete the offense. Compared to the program’s own expectations, results have been mixed.
So have Card’s, after a 4-8 record and modest production in his first season. Saturday becomes a chance to show that command of the offense and resilience under pressure expected of returning starters.
Walters admitted Notre Dame presents an opportunity for a program, and a coach, seeking a signature victory. Card shrugged off that aura, calling the matchup “just another game.” As of this week, it also projected as the first of six remaining games against first-year transfer quarterbacks.
That may not mean much when the Boilermakers face Oregon and Ohio State. In other matchups, maybe as early as Saturday, it could mean everything.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue football’s key transfer QB edge over Notre Dame
