The injuries are mounting for Purdue.
Receiver David Bell, running back Zander Horvath and cornerback Cory Trice are all out. And don't forget about wideout Mershawn Rice, while guard/tackle Cam Craig has been dealing with injury issues that kept him out vs. Illinois.
Those were just the players who missed last week's win vs. Illinois. During the Boilermakers' triumph vs. the Fighting Illini, tight end Payne Durham and defensive tackle Branson Deen also went down. Defensive end DaMarcus Mitchell got banged up. Plus, running back King Doerue didn't even suit up as he deals with an undisclosed illness.
The roster could use all hands on deck as Purdue (3-1) pushes toward a bowl bid and preps to play Minnesota (2-2) for homecoming at noon ET on Saturday.
The return of Bell would me most welcomed. He leads Purdue with 21 catches for 319 yards and three touchdowns. He is the offense's top weapon and arguably the best wideout in the Big Ten. He sustained a big hit at Notre Dame earlier this month and was put in concussion protocol. Is he still there?
"Yeah, so we'll continue to go through the protocol and see how he progresses, and obviously we're always hopeful," said Purdue coach Jeff Brohm on Monday.
Rice hurt a foot at Notre Dame and is out six weeks. With Rice and Bell out, Purdue turned to Milton Wright, Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen and T.J. Sheffield vs. Illinois. And the trio of receivers delivered a combined 14 catches for 209 yards and a touchdown in the Boilermakers' 13-9 win vs. Illinois.
Durham took a big hit from Illinois safety Sydney Brown, while Deen collided with fellow d-tackle Lawrence Johnson while making a sack on Saturday.
"Payne Durham is in concussion protocol, as well as Branson Deen, and then DaMarcus Mitchell was banged up and we'll see how he progresses this week," said Brohm.
Durham is Purdue's No. 1 tight end, hauling in 18 passes for 209 yards and three touchdowns, which ties him for the team lead with Bell. Deen is the squad's most productive defensive tackle, ranking first on the team with 3.5 TFLs to go along with a sack.
Garrett Miller will player a bigger role if Durham remains out, along with Kyle Bilodeau and Paul Piferi.
Purdue has solid depth at defensive tackle and could absorb the loss of Deen if he misses the Minnesota game.
"Branson Deen was playing very good," said Brohm. "He's got some quick-twitch and can get off blocks as well and use his leverage to do that. So, he had been playing well before the injury."
The defense already is dealing without Trice for four weeks after he hurt an ankle in practice during Notre Dame week. Kentucky transfer Jamari Brown has filled in well in Trice's absence.
The illness surrounding Doerue is a mystery. With Horvath out four-six weeks with a broken left fibula suffered at UConn, Doerue had elevated to the top running back slot.
"King has a medical condition that I can't elaborate on that could affect him all year," said Brohm. "We're doing whatever we can to get him back. I really won't be able to tell you more on that as far as if he can go until we get into practice week."
Brohm did say whatever ails Doerue isn't related to COVID. He is second on the team with 126 yards rushing. Without Horvath and Doerue, redshirt freshman walk-on Dylan Downing and true freshman Ja'Quez Cross are carrying the rushing load. Downing, a transfer from UNLV, leads Purdue with 131 yards rushing and 33 carries.
With Craig not available last week, Purdue played the same five linemen for all 66 snaps vs. Illinois: Left tackle Greg Long; left guard Spencer Holstege; center Gus Hartwig; right guard Tyler Witt; right tackle Eric Miller.
"I think you'll see Cam Craig in there more this week," said Brohm. "Cam has had some small injury issues that we've been dealing with and hasn't been able to do as much as we would like. We've been repping him both at guard and tackle.
"I think we feel comfortable with six, but no, Cam did not get in there this past week. As we evaluated the video, going into this week's practice, the plan will be for Cam Craig to play."
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