After months of uncertainty, scrutiny, and anticipation, Big Ten football finally kicks off this weekend.

For the Purdue Boilermakers, a tough week one opponent is nothing new in the Jeff Brohm era. With the Boilermakers opening with Lousiville, Northwestern, and Nevada each of the last three seasons they look forward to a 3:30 kickoff with rival Iowa to start their 2020 season.

As with any new season, there are more questions than answers for both teams leading up to the opening kickoff. A new starting quarterback for Iowa, after three-year starter Nate Stanley went to the NFL, leads to major questions about the Iowa offense. Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm, who is 0-3 in season openers with the Boilermakers, will not be coaching in the game due to a positive Covid-19 test last Sunday. How will the Purdue offense look with co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach calling the game? That is remained to be seen.

Iowa: What to watch for

QB Spencer Petras:

As mentioned, Iowa lost a three-year starter, Nate Stanley, last spring to graduation. Petras, sophomore, has been in the Iowa system since 2018 but hasn’t seen much game action. The former 3-star recruit has a strong arm and his knowledge of the offense from two years of backing up Stanley should make him a serviceable replacement for the duration of his college career. Iowa typically doesn’t have an issue developing quarterbacks and with the weapons, Petras has around him, this could be the best offense the Hawkeyes have had in years.

The Defensive Line:

The Iowa defense is known for being a run-stopping machine but after losing seven starters in the last two seasons, there are a lot of questions upfront for the Hawkeyes. They don’t have a go-to disrupter like AJ Epenesa this year and it will be interesting to see who is going to step up and become “the guy.” Going up against a weaker Boilermaker o-line will be an advantage for the Hawkeyes defensive front. If they can force Purdue to get rid of the ball quickly and make the Boilers beat them in space as opposed to with the deep ball then this line will have a successful debut.

The Secondary:

Phil Parker has had his issues stopping the Boilermaker offense since Jeff Brohm took over as Purdue head coach. In 2017 Iowa gave up 24 points to the Boilers in a 24-15 loss. Anthony Mahoungou torched the Hawkeye secondary with seven receptions for 135 yards and two touchdowns. In 2018 it was Terry Wright lighting up the Iowa secondary with six receptions for 146 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-36 Boilermaker win. Then in 2019, despite Iowa winning the game 26-20, they let David Bell pull in 13 receptions for 197 yards and a touchdown. This will be the first time Parkers defense has seen the electrifying duo of Rondale Moore and David Bell on the field at the same time. The question is, how will they gameplan to stop them?

Purdue: What to watch for

Who starts at quarterback?:

Purdue has had a close quarterback competition throughout spring and fall camp. Jack Plummer is more than likely the leader in the clubhouse. He started six games last season when Elijah Sindelar went down with a concussion/shoulder injury. He’s mobile and has a strong arm that favors a Jeff Brohm style offense. Aidan O’Connell also played in three games for the Boilers last season. O’Connell orchestrated come from behind wins against Nebraska and Northwestern down the stretch. O’Connell has the strongest arm of the three but is as mobile as Peyton Manning in the pocket. Then there’s UCLA transfer Austin Burton. Burton is by far the most athletic option of the three and that is something Jeff Brohm likes in a quarterback. Burton could be used frequently in more creative packages that let him showcase his athletic ability.

Brian Brohm’s Playcalling:

Co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brian Brohm will be taking over head coaching duties in Jeff Brohm’s absence. In Jeff Brohm’s three-season openers at Purdue, he has like to get aggressive with play-calling early. He shows a lot of trick plays to try and catch a defense sleeping. It will be interesting to see how much of that style playcalling Brian uses on Saturday afternoon. It’s worth noting that in a press conference earlier this week Brian said that he has never called a game as a coach. Purdue has petitioned for Jeff Brohm to have a phone to be in communication with the coaching staff during the game. There has not been a verdict made on that petition yet.

Purdue’s Secondary:

The Purdue secondary has been the weak link in an already weak Boilermaker defense for the last couple of seasons. They added two transfers in the secondary that bring some veteran leadership to the group. The additions of DJ Johnson (Iowa) and Tyler Coyle (UConn) make this secondary group deeper than Purduue has had in recent years. Geovonte’ Howard is also a JUCO transfer that is expected to make a big impact early on. Will this be the year that opposing offenses can’t throw all over the Boilermakers? That’s what fans will have to wait and see to find out.

Purdue and Iowa kick off at 3:30 eastern on Saturday. The game can be seen on the Big Ten Network.