Is Austin Appleby Purdue’s Long-Term Starter?

Sep 27, 2014; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Purdue Boilermakers quarterback Austin Appleby (12) throws a pass during the second half at Ross Ade Stadium against the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Iowa Hawkeyes beat the Purdue Boilermakers 24 to 10. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

The Purdue Boilermakers made the quarterback switch from Danny Etling to Austin Appleby this past week against Illinois, and it worked out in a big way. Appleby led the Boilermakers to a 38-27, which was Purdue’s first Big Ten win in 679 days. Etling has been struggling all season long with consistency, and Appleby has shown quite a bit of potential in limited playing time.

Appleby threw 202 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing the football seven times for 76 yards and two touchdowns.

That type of performance leads to the question of whether or not Appleby is the long-term starter for Purdue this season.

At this point in time, it’s hard to see Purdue turning back to Etling as their starter unless Appleby completely implodes on himself over the next few weeks. His ability to pass the football as well as make plays with his legs sets him apart, and he fits the offense much better. It’s not likely that he will keep the starting role next season if he keeps it this year, simply because young quarterback David Blough is already receiving a lot of praise for what he has shown.

It’s going to be interesting to see if the switch to Appleby completely changes the course of Purdue’s season. He is the type of quarterback that can be a nightmare for defenses to go up against, and he certainly got the most out of the Boilermakers’ offense. Head coach Darrell Hazell finally decided to switch things up and give a player a chance and he came through with a huge game.

Purdue put up 551 yards of total offense on Saturday against Illinois, which was their highest total since their 2008 game against the Indiana Hoosiers.

Needless to say, Purdue football was brought back to life with Appleby’s performance against the Illini. He may not be able to put up those types of numbers each and every week, but he puts forth a lot of hard work and effort and is a much more consistent quarterback than Etling has been in his starts. Expect to see more of Appleby in the coming weeks, and Purdue could very well have found their starting quarterback for the remainder of the season.