After playing only one true freshman in Week 1 — receiver KeyRon Catlett, who only played on special teams — Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said there could be at least three more rookies who make their debuts Friday.

Linebackers Derrick Barnes, Tobias Larry and Cornel Jones likely will play on special teams against Ohio and also could get snaps on defense.

"We’re hopeful these guys are ready to go," Brohm said after Wednesday's practice. "They’re very instinctive. They’ve actually got good strength to them for freshmen. They look the part. They’re able to run, hit and tackle. Really, even, throughout the last couple weeks when they’ve been playing on the service team, they do a great job. They’re guys who maybe aren’t fully ready yet, but they’re close. I think we’ve got to go with them. We’ve got to get them ready. We’ve got to let them run down the field, make some tackles, help us on special teams. We want to be better on special teams, and I think those guys will help us."

Cornerback Dedrick Mackey, tight end Darius Pittman and quarterback Nick Sipe also were in uniform last week against Louisville but didn't play. It's unlikely Sipe would get a chance to see the field this season with the logjam at quarterback, but perhaps Mackey and Pittman will play at some point. Perhaps even Friday.

In his first game, Catlett returned four kickoffs for 51 yards.

Freshmen won't be the only ones potentially getting bumps in snaps, though.

With Lorenzo Neal required to miss the first half after being ejected for targeting in the second half last week, Eddy Wilson likely will get the start at nose tackle and play the bulk of those first-half snaps. But it's possible Purdue will add another player to that mix on long drives, though Brohm didn't mention who that could be. Keiwan Jones relieved defensive tackle Gelen Robinson at points against Louisville, but Purdue played only those four interior linemen.

There could be shakeups in the secondary, too.

Though Brohm said he expects starting safety T.J. Jallow to play Friday despite missing some practice this week with an undisclosed injury — Jallow did practice Wednesday — that could open the door for Navon Mosley to play more at safety. If that's the case, Purdue would slide Antonio Blackmon into Mosley's nickel spot. Blackmon played some at corner last week but none at nickel.

"How long (Jallow will) go or how productive he’ll be, we’ll see. I’m hopeful that he’ll find a way to get his juice going and fight through it. But if not, we’ll have a plan ready," Brohm said.

Brohm has selected Purdue's starting quarterback but, for the second consecutive week, won't reveal that decision publicly before the game.

Elijah Sindelar made his first career start last week, and last season's starter David Blough came off the bench in the second quarter. After Blough threw a pair of interceptions, Sindelar was re-inserted and finished the game.

There could be a similar rotation this week, as Brohm said he expects to play multiple quarterbacks again. Ultimately, though, he'd prefer to have one guy to count on.

That's just not the scenario right now.

"I’m ready to go with one whenever that dictates itself," he said. "Both guys can play for us. Both guys need to improve in certain areas, but both guys work extremely hard and they can help us win. I think throughout the course of a season, sometimes you can get away with one, even when he’s the full-time starter and other times, you can’t. So it’s a good thing to have multiple guys who feel like they can play and getting ready to play. So while maybe you would like to have one, I don’t think it’s a bad thing to have two.

"We’ve got an idea of what they do well. Elijah can stand in the pocket and throw it vertically up the field. He’s got good pocket poise. He can see the field. David is kind of a gamer. He can make some plays. He can move around a bit. He’s got some moxie. Struggles at a few of those other things I mentioned. But, really, it’s about who can lead us to touchdowns? Who can lead this offense? Who can find a way to produce points? And not turn it over."

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