There were the interceptions ... The coaching changes ... The injuries ... The job loss. Name the adversity, and David Blough likely has navigated through it while at Purdue. But the tough times have made him better.
"Everyone has difficulties they have to overcome," Blough says. "Everything I have walked through has made me stronger."
Make no mistake about it: Blough has Herculean mental strength. And it has been on full display during what has shaped up to be a glorious senior season. Blough is playing the best ball of his Boilermaker tenure as the curtain is coming down on a career that will see the Texan leave West Lafayette as one of Purdue's most-beloved players.
It's a perfect punctuation. And just think, Blough was not even the starting quarterback when the season began.
This season, Blough has been masterful in executing the offense for head coach Jeff Brohm, showing aplomb at executing the vertical passing game that few felt he was capable of doing on a consistent basis.
"Yes, I knew what people thought of my arm strength," Blough says. "But I'm just glad I got the chance to be here."
That opportunity almost did not come. Blough's mother, LuAnn Blough, still remembers schools hanging up on the family when gauging interest in her son.
"We were trying to see who would be interested," she says. "We called Oklahoma, and they asked how tall he was. We told them 6-1. Click. They hung up. We called Iowa. Click. They did not think he was big enough to run their offense."
And on it went. Click, click, click. New Mexico State and Rice showed interest in Blough. Then, Purdue came calling.
"We took the offer," LuAnn says.
Blough won't leave Purdue with a raft of awards. But his impact on the program, school and community has been profound and will endure longer than any numbers. Blough has set an example with how he has conducted himself off the field, putting others before himself, living unselfishly and being the ultimate teammate and citizen. The fact Blough is a two-time captain tells you how teammates feel about him, too.
"I have some great guys around me," Blough says. "It has been fun helping Purdue get on track under coach Brohm. There have been lots of good times, and some trying ones, too."
Among the highs during his roller-coaster ride? Blough cites a breakout effort in a 55-45 win over Nebraska as a redshirt freshman in 2015. And this senior season run ranks right up there, too, with a monster 49-20 victory against No. 2 Ohio State last month.
The lows?
"I felt partly responsible for (offensive coordinator) John Shoop losing his job (after the 2015 season)," Blough says. "I could have played better."
Blough also had the dubious honor of leading the country with 21 interceptions in 2016. Additionally, there have been the injuries. He suffered a concussion at Iowa in 2015. A bum shoulder sidelined him at the start of 2017. Then, after he had secured the starting position, Blough suffered a gruesome ankle injury against Illinois that ended his junior season.
Blough fought through a rigorous rehab while watching Elijah Sindelar – playing through his own injury – lead the team to its first bowl win since 2011. That set the stage for a conundrum leading into this season: Could Blough unseat Sindelar, who finished strong and looked to be a better fit for this offense? Would Blough get a fair shot to win back the job? Or, would he opt to transfer?
"I didn't consider leaving as a grad transfer," Blough says. "I didn't want to leave my teammates. Coach Brohm said I would get a fair shot to win the job. That's all I needed to hear."
Blough did not flinch when he lost the preseason quarterback derby to Sindelar. Was he disappointed? Yes. But he was sticking around. Because you never know what will happen. Sure enough, Blough got his chance late in the first half of the season opener against Northwestern after Sindelar tossed three interceptions. And Blough has not looked back, assuming the starting job in the third game of the season after Sindelar got hurt and not relinquishing the job, even as Sindelar's health returned.
LuAnn Blough has been there along the way for almost every game, making the trek from the Dallas area to watch her youngest of three sons.
"His brothers were good athletes, but they weren't as competitive as David," she says. "They played percussion in the band, which is competitive in itself. I am proud of them, too. I am blessed."
In March, Blough will be married to his high school sweetheart, Melissa Gonzalez. She was two years ahead of him at Creekview High School in Carrollton, Texas, and was a track standout at the University of Texas.
"She is training now to run in the Olympics for Columbia," Blough says. "She runs the 400 hurdles. She is a better athlete than me. I am a lucky guy."
Blough got to see her during Purdue's bye week in October. He also got to surprise his mom.
"I got an unexpected phone call in the middle of the night," LuAnn says. "It was scary for a mother. Turns out, it was David. He was locked out of the house.
"It was great to see him. You cherish those moments, just like we have David's career at Purdue. It's just hard to believe it's about over."