Brohm not 'truly optimistic' about Rondale Moore playing Saturday

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If Purdue is going to keep its bowl hopes alive and win at No. 14 Wisconsin (4 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday) as a double-digit underdog, it likely will have to do so without wideout Rondale Moore and defensive tackle Lorenzo Neal.

“We are as hopeful as you that at some point both of those guys will be back,” said Jeff Brohm at his Monday press conference. “It’s still at the point we’ll see if they can practice this week. As we get going on Tuesday, we'll see what they can do and how they feel. And really, until that truly happens, I can’t be truly optimistic. But, I’m hopeful that eventually it can happen.”

Moore has missed the last six games with a left hamstring injury suffered on September 28 vs. Minnesota. Neal hasn’t played a snap in 2019 after undergoing offseason knee surgery. He hurt the knee almost a year ago in the regular-season finale at Indiana.

Could other injured players be ready to go vs. Wisconsin (8-2 overall; 5-2 Big Ten) for a Boilermakers (4-6 overall; 3-4 Big Ten) squad that was off last week? One of those key players is wideout Jared Sparks.

“It is kind of in the same boat right now as Rondale and Lorenzo, where we have to see them on the practice field,” said Brohm. “(Sparks) kind of has a high ankle (injury) similar to the one he had last year. Ended up having surgery on it. He came back, I believe, for the Iowa game (last month) and tried to play and injured it a little bit more. So, that has been a dilemma."

Sparks has played just three games in 2019 and last saw action at Iowa on October 19. Brohm doesn’t think center Viktor Beach or quarterback Elijah Sindelar will be back. But Brohm sounded more optimistic about linebacker Semisi Fakasiieiki.

“(He) is a guy who has come in and done some really good things for us, but he has been banged up and injured,” said Brohm. “Hasn’t been able to practice very much at all. I think he got as healthy as he could this past week. And that was someone we wanted to get back healthy.

“(Safety) Jalen Graham has had some issues, as well, but I think he is doing quite a bit better. (Cornerback) Cory Trice, as well. I think he’s feeling quite a bit better. So, there are a handful that I think are healthier than they had been the last three or four weeks.”

A big key for Purdue knocking off Wisconsin will be to contain its star junior running back: Jonathan Taylor. He is No. 2 in the nation in rushing, averaging 146.3 yards. Taylor has carried 233 times for 1,463 yards with 17 TDs.

“That’s gonna be the challenge,” said Brohm. “He has ran for a lot of yards against us and really a lot of teams. It’s important we somehow match the physicality of their offense. They are big and strong up front. They are gonna run the ball at ya. They have done a good job this year of adding the misdirection element to their offense. A lot of those things to throw off the eyes and the keys of the linebackers and safeties, which has worked. I think that has opened up some things.”

Taylor ran 33 times for 321 yards (9.7 ypc) and three TDs in last year’s 47-44 triple OT win at Purdue. In 2017, Taylor carried 30 times for 219 yards (7.3 ypc) with a TD in a 17-9 victory vs. the Boilermakers. (That's the only game under Brohm in which Purdue has failed to score a TD.)

Add it up, and Taylor has rushed 63 times for 540 yards and four TDs in two games vs. Purdue. That averages to 32 carries for 270 yards (8.4 ypc) and two TDs in two games vs. the Boilermakers.

“We had a hard time last year, especially toward the end of the game, we got worn down, they hand the ball off to him and he pounded it in there and got some big runs,” said Brohm. “That’s gonna be the key. You have to be able to hit him early, tackle him and get him to the ground. … He is a great talent, he’s a big, strong specimen and he has some good players around him. So, that will be the challenge. We have to try to limit him as much as we can, which is going to be hard to do.”

Last week, Taylor ran for 204 yards at Nebraska to reach 5,634 career rushing yards, passing Georgia's Herschel Walker for most yards through a player’s junior season in NCAA history. Taylor also ran past Ohio State’s Archie Griffin for the second-most rushing yards all-time in Big Ten history. The only man ahead of Taylor: Wisconsin’s Ron Dayne.

During the off week, the staff spent a lot of time evaluating the freshmen. And Jeff Brohm had to send a message to some of them.

“We wanted to stress to certain guys: If you aren’t playing right now, then you need to get better,” said Brohm. “I don’t think that was understood as much until it was stressed this past week. As we worked our way through it, I saw a few signs. But I think the intensity and the ability to work hard every day needs to improve. Otherwise, they would be on the field. So, if they aren’t on the field now, it has to improve and improve greatly.”

Purdue has utilized quite a few true freshmen so far in 2019. In fact, seven already have played in more than four games, meaning they have used a season of eligibility:

S Cam Allen

WR David Bell

P Brooks Cormier

RB King Doerue

S Jalen Graham

DE George Karlaftis

WR Milton Wright

Several other members of the Class of 2019 have gotten their toes wet, too. Could others play?

“(Offensive lineman) Cam Craig is the next guy up on offense,” said Brohm. … I think he’s ready to play. (Running back Da’Joun) Hewitt at running back, I think is a guy who now can get in there at running back and play some. I think both young tight ends (Kyle Bilodeau and Garrett Miller), if we need them, could do some things for us. They still mentally need to continue to advance. But we are excited about their future.”

Hewitt, Bilodeau and Miller all have played a bit already.

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