Who is Purdue football's No. 2 quarterback, and who will kick field goals?

WEST LAFAYETTE -- Purdue football's final 2-deep competitions reached some clarity as preseason camp drew to a close.

Thursday's final practice open to the media revealed a clear No. 2 quarterback and included the announcement of a No. 1 placekicker. Some other position battles, though, could extend into the regular season.

What we learned Thursday:

Evans Chuba worked exclusviely with the No. 2 offense. That trend began to solidify Wednesday after he and Bennett Meredith had shared the primary backup reps behind Ryan Browne throughout camp.

Chuba's upside, a skill set still being actively refined, appears to have won out over Meredith's edge in tenure and (scant) game experience.

Browne's return as the clear-cut starter helped streamline the quarterback process throughout the past month. A year ago, he transferred back from North Carolina in the spring and had to compete for the No. 1 spot. This year, he dominated No. 1 snaps, creating a more head-to-head competition between Chuba and Meredith.

Chuba has a powerful arm and can be athletic out of the pocket, but is still working on technique and reads. The best case scenario for Purdue would be a big, early lead against Indiana State next Friday, allowing Chuba to take his first game snaps in a low-leverage situation.

Special teams coordinator James Shibest confirmed true freshman Jacobo Echevarria Lozano will open the season as the No. 1 place kicker. He and Seth Turner, who will again handle kickoffs, had battled throughout camp.

Purdue quickly pivoted to Lozano in late January after Brownsburg native Spencer Porath's abrupt departure to Notre Dame. The native of Bogota, Colombia, displayed a powerful leg in camp. Earlier this week, he put a free kick from 59 yards through the uprights.

The remaining question is how he will handle kicking in the Rose Bowl in Week 3 or at home against Notre Dame the following week. The Boilermakers say his camp performance gives them confidence he will respond.

"We may have to go through a few growing pains early," Shibest said. "But we feel very confident in him, and the more he's out there doing it with our guys in live looks, the more comfortable he'll get.

"I hope the first one's a PAT, just to kind of put things at ease."

Several positions have been settled essentially since the start of camp. Others project as a larger rotation as the season opens.

As many as six defensive ends have rolled through No. 1 reps in the past couple of days. They included returnees C.J. Madden, Trey Smith and Breeon Ishmail, and newcomers Keyshawn Burgos (Virginia Tech), Jeremy Lewis (Iowa Western) and Elo Modozie (Georgia).

Things are more settled on the interior, where Ian Jeffries, Illinois transfer Curt Neal and UCF transfer Rodney Lora have led the group. North Carolina Central transfer Wisdom Simms and freshman Kobe Cherry have provided depth. TJ Lindsey, who opened last season strong before suffering a torn ACL, continues to progress towards his best form, defensive line coach Kelvin Green said Wednesday.

There's a strong chance Purdue opens with three veteran receivers in the starting lineup agianst Indiana State -- holdovers Chauncey Magwood and De'Nylon Morrissette outside, and Iowa State transfer Xavier Townsend in the slot. But preseason camp confirmed the quality of depth -- at least in readiness to contirubute -- has improved.

Other receivers who worked with the No. 1 offense as camp closed were true freshman Brandon Kinsey, sophomore Tra'Mar Harris, Penn transfer Bisi Owens and Syracuse transfer Jaylan Hornsby outside and FAU transfer Assad Waseem and sophomore Jesse Watson in the slot.

Browne appears to have a more reliable group overall with which to work -- and one which can better absorb any in-season attrition. Someone from the group, though, will need to emerge as a big-play threat downfield.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Who is Purdue football's No. 2 quarterback, and who will kick field goals?