O’Connell closed out the season as the starting quarterback for the Boilermakers after Jack Plummer went down with a season-ending ankle injury in early November and proceeded to post some fairly impressive numbers. Over the last three weeks, O’Connell averaged 322.7 passing yards and completed 62.0 percent of his passes, finishing out the campaign with a 8:4 TD:INT ratio. It’s worth noting that Plummer slotted ahead of him originally in the pecking order to succeed Elijah Sindelar at quarterback, so O’Connell will likely need to prove he’s the more deserving option. If he can win the job, O’Connell should be set up well for a breakout 2020 campaign with a pair of stud wide receivers at his disposal in Rondale Moore and David Bell. Read Past Outlooks