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On the day Jeff Brohm took over as Purdue’s coach, running back Markell Jones knew the offseason would be big, not only for the Boilermakers but for himself.
The junior had suffered through a difficult 2016 in which his production was limited due to a myriad of injuries, the biggest being the shoulder sprain suffered in Week 2.
So in December, Jones said he was eager to show the new coaching staff that he is a capable, dynamic, No. 1 back, not the player who labored through injuries last season.
But that’s not yet happened. Jones’ spring started slowly, being outshined by D.J. Knox and others early, before heading to the sideline recently. He’s not practiced since March 22, as he sits out with a back injury, and he was absent Wednesday due to an academic issue, per Jeff Brohm, presumably a commitment.
“I really haven’t gotten to see the true Markell, to be honest with you,” Brohm said following Purdue’s practice Wednesday, the 10th of the spring. “We’d like for him to heal up and get out here, so we can see what he’s got.
“… I think he definitely has it in him, just a matter of him getting to where he feels right and ready to go. And then I think we’ll be able to gauge then.”
But while Jones sits, other running backs have shone. Knox, in particular, looks explosive, back to the type of big-play back that he was before an ACL injury in the spring game a year ago knocked him out for 2016. But sophomores Tario Fuller and Richie Worship have had moments too, showing they might be capable of carries in the fall.
Brohm even joked that Purdue might switch from his wide-open fire-at-will passing offense to the Veer, due to depth at running back (and the lack of playmakers on the perimeter).
“(Get) three backs back there,” he said tongue-in-cheek, presumably. “Three guys have been running the ball pretty good, and they’ve stood out to me. We haven’t completely got that (Veer) in yet but don’t be shocked if we do a lot of that.”
Purdue would like Jones to be a part of any offense, because he’s shown to be more than capable on Saturdays. But the 5-foot-11, 205-pounder needs to practice — he’s admitted previously to not being the best practice player — and to do so he needs to get healthy.
“I wanted to see a little more progress from him (early),” running backs coach Chris Barclary said, “and then he had this injury come up. We’re trying to nurse him and get him back to the field. Really interested to see where that’s going to go. I think he’s a guy who has some instincts and has some ability.
“Is he the most instinctive? Is he the fastest guy? I tell him all the time, he’s not the fastest guy, but he does have a good skillset we can utilize, it’s just a matter of him being available. I tell those guys all the time, the most important ability is availability, and if you’re not available, then that’s says a lot.”
Sent off
Eddy Wilson walked slowly off the field, dropped his helmet and exited Mollenkopf.
The junior defensive tackle had been asked to leave after getting into a physical confrontation with a teammate. That in itself isn’t entirely uncommon — a scuffle might happen once every couple practices — but Wednesday’s was too much.
“A little bit of extracurricular activities that stepped over the line a little bit,” Brohm explained. “But (Wilson) works hard. You’re going to have that to a certain degree. He fights and battles, but sometimes in the heat of it, you can cross the line slightly and he did that.
“Sometimes, you want to make sure guys understand that, 'Hey, that can happen some, but when it comes to a game, it has to be between the whistles and it has to be clean. Because not only could you get thrown out for a full game, but sometimes if it's over the line, you can get thrown out of the year.’ We want to make sure we understand that, but he'll be back (Friday)."
Purdue had a similarly violent outburst Monday, when safety T.J. Jallow, who hasn’t been shy about getting to the edge (and sometimes over) in physicality, got into a brief exchange with a teammate.
“That was over the line, (too),” Brohm said. “Luckily (for him), I didn’t see that until I watched the film, but yeah, that was over the line.”
Etc.
• Purdue has a little more depth on its defensive line, with Tim Faison’s surprise return to the Boilermakers.
The sophomore had been away since the start of spring, with Brohm saying little as an explanation then. But Faison is back now, after missing the first nine practices.
"It was something to do on campus, that's all I can say," Brohm said, when asked for further clarification on the reason for the absence. "I stay out of that, so he's back now."
• Purdue has been lining quarterback Jared Sparks up at wide receiver the last two practices, letting the athletic reserve show his versatility.
“We’re really thin at receiver right now,” Brohm said of a position in which Purdue has only six healthy players. “That’s an issue. (Sparks) is very athletic, he can run. We’re starting to put a little bit of a package in for him at quarterback, things that maybe he can really challenge the defense on. And also because of his speed, he might eventually be a guy who has to get the ball in his hands some, whether that’s at quarterback, running back or receiver. We’re looking at a few things with him. But he is athletic.”
Perhaps Sparks, who has shown significant improvement as a QB this spring, could work his way into a “slash”-type Kordell Stewart role this fall.
“Nothing is off the table to try to score with what we have right now,” Brohm said. “I think that Jared is athletic and can run. If ends up not being the starter at quarterback, we could carry a certain package for him and make sure that’s up and ready every game. I think he’s doing a good job with it. He can throw well enough to execute with that and also look at him split out some as well.”
