Coach's Corner: Bell's emergence has been sweet treat in frustrating season

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David Bell didn’t usually wear a costume on Halloween when he was a kid. But he still got the candy.

“I didn’t really dress up when I was younger,” he said. “We just went to get candy.”

His favorite candy? Kit Kat.

Bell has become a favorite among the wide receivers when it comes to catching passes this season. The true freshman leads the squad with 44 catches for 653 yards (14.8 ypc) with four touchdowns. Did he anticipate this type of production when he arrived from Warren Central High as the No. 1 player in the state by Rivals.com?

"I didn't expect the stats that I have now," said Bell. "I kind of expected Rondale (Moore) to play the whole season. If he had played the whole season, I know that my targets would have been limited and I would have had to make the best of my opportunities. I kind of exceeded my goals coming into the season."

But team-wise, Bell isn't happy. He wishes Purdue was better than its 2-6 record. He is used to winning ... a lot, which he did at Warren Central.

“For us, losing, it was very frustrating,” he said. “For us to just go out there and not do what we do was a lot of frustration.

“It’s just more mental. Even though we are 2-6, we have to approach every practice and every game with 100 percent effort. If we don’t, our record can only get worse and we want it to keep improving."

The Boilermakers welcome Nebraska (4-4 overall; 2-3 Big Ten) on Saturday knowing they have to beat the Cornhuskers then win the three games after that (at Northwestern, at Wisconsin, vs. Indiana) to become bowl eligible.

"We do feel a sense of urgency. We do know the situation that we are in right now. We know that we have to win our last four games to qualify for a bowl. If we come out here and practice hard, hopefully we can win our last four games."

The Purdue rushing game has struggled to gain traction most of the season. How much so? The Boilermakers rank second-to-last in the nation in rushing (68.6 ypg). As a point of contrast, Navy leads the nation with a 350.7-yard per game rushing average.

The run game has struggled for many reasons, most of which centers around a still-developing line. But Purdue true freshman running back King Doerue is doing what he can to make it go.

“He is a young guy,” said running backs coach Chris Barclay. “It’s almost like every rep is a new experience. … He has played quite a few snaps to this point. We played a game this past weekend in some inclement weather, so that was different, a new experience for him. He had a dropped pass on a check-down."

Doerue leads the team with 289 yards rushing on 92 carries, averaging 3.1 yards per carry with three touchdowns. Markell Jones was the last true freshman to lead Purdue in rushing, gaining 875 yards in 2015. Did Doerue envision coming in and having this impact?

"That was my goal coming in, to be a top back, to come in and make an impact for the team," said Doerue.

Barclay has been impressed with his young back.

"He is doing some things well with the ball in his hands," said Barclay. "He needs to be a little more decisive at times, know when to attack edges on guys, get some yards after contact. Sometimes, he might dance a little too much or not trust what he sees sometimes and he’s checking his feet sometimes in the run game.

"Want him to be a little more sure of himself. But he has done a good job picking up his blocking assignments and I think he’s done a good job making guys miss. He’s the most consistent in making the first defender miss."

Doerue's best game was a 94-yard rushing effort vs. Minnesota when he also scored two touchdowns. The 5-10, 210-pound Doerue also made four catches for 32 yards and score.

"I think King Doerue has done a good job for us the last few games," said Barclay. "Been picking things up quickly. Zander (Horvath) has really helped him come along. And he even started to emerge last week. (Horvath) was our best one on the ground. I thought he played his most complete game that I have seen him play since he’s been here."

The offensive line has been a work-in-progress most of the season.

Purdue has used four different starting configurations. And the team has started eight different linemen through the first eight games: Grant Hermanns, Alex Criddle, Mark Stickford, Viktor Beach, Sam Garvin, Matt McCann, Will Bramel and Eric Miller.

But it looks like the Boilermakers may be settling on a configuration of Hermanns at left tackle, Stickford, at left guard, Garvin at center, McCann at right guard and Bramel at right tackle

"We have a lot of young guys," said Hermanns. "I was hoping it would be a little farther along. ... Guys have to step up and start playing confident. I think these guys are getting a lot better. I am excited to see what this line can do these next four games."

Jeff Brohm is seeing progress for a young unit that still struggles to get a consistent push or always create a secure pocket.

“Well, I'm seeing progress from our guys,” said Brohm. ... "I know our line has worked extremely hard. They put in a lot of extra time in before, during, after practice, to get better and we just got to push forward through it.”

For Hermanns, it's about the unit playing with confidence, which it will need vs. Nebraska this Saturday.

"They are big, they are physical and they are really thick up front, for sure," said Hermanns. "So, we have to be on our game.

"Even failing with confidence, you have to pick yourself back up and watch the film. What did we do wrong? And start fixing in practice, who wants to win on Tuesday and Wednesday? That’s the mentality I think we have to have and get better every day."

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