Purdue will hit foes with the 1-2 running back punch of Horvath-Doerue

He arrived as a walk-on fullback in 2017. Now, sophomore Zander Horvath is Purdue’s No. 1 running back with the recent injury to senior Tario Fuller. And running backs coach Chris Barclay is confident about the situation.

“He’ll be the No. 1 back,” said Barclay about Horvath. “And we feel really good about King Doerue. I think those two will kind of be in a 1-2 role. They complement each other well. They both can run, they both are physical, they both can catch. They will provide a lot of plays for us."

Truth be told, Horvath may have been the top back before Fuller suffered a broken jaw in last Saturday’s scrimmage that will keep him out indefinitley. Horvath has rushed 67 times in his career for 325 yards and two TDs to go along with 15 catches. Now, Horvath is going from role player to top back as the Boilermakers prep to open the season August 30 at Nevada.

Horvath is a 6-3, 230-pound hammer from Mishawaka, Ind. He sat out 2017 at Purdue and played in all 13 games last season, running nine times for 42 yards and a TD. He also caught four passes for 38 yards.

Horvath also is a good blocker, a key skill given the unknown nature of the offensive line. No doubt, pass-protection could be an issue for the front, and the staff needs to know its running back can handle blitz pick-ups. Horvath expects Nevada to bring pressure to test the blocking of him and his running back mates.

Doerue also must be ready. The 5-10, 215-pound freshman from Amarillo, Texas, has turned heads in camp with his speed and power.

“I feel like I am prepared and have gotten a lot better,” said Doerue, the fastest running back on the squad. “I got better as the days went on. I was a sponge and soaked everything in. I am more comfortable, which allows me to play faster.”

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But, Doerue comes from a prep program that ran the option, so pass-blocking wasn’t a skill he developed.

"Physically, he will match up and be fine,” said Barclay. “He is a strong kid. We watch film every day. He is coming in on his own and watching. … I think he understands what we are trying to get done.”

Fullback Alfred Armour and freshman Da’Joun Hewitt also are in the fold.

“(Armour) is a utility guy,” said Barclay. “He understands what we are trying to get accomplished at the running back position as well as fullback. He provides some versatility for us. He runs hard. He is probably the hardest runner we have. He may be a factor in some shot-yardage situations. We feel good about him going in like any other running back.”

As for Hewitt.

“We’ll see,” said Barclay. “Right now, he’s special teams. He’s working at it, but he’s a little further behind than they other kids right now from a playbook standpoint and ball security things we have to square away. I think he’ll be fine on special teams. As he handles that, then we’ll see about his role.”

Everyone is picking up the slack without Fuller, who underwent surgery recently and had his jaw wired shut.

“The procedure went well,” said Barclay. “It’s gonna be a rough four weeks. He is trying to get the necessary nutrients in him. We have the nutritionist who is working with him, making sure he gets what he needs from a nutrition standpoint, just taking it day-by-day.”

While the staff and team wait on Fuller, Horvath and Doerue figure to get the bulk of the carries at Nevada. But Barclay is confident in all of his backs. Purdue also could use some of its wideouts and tight ends out of the backfield at times as a wrinkle to throw at opponents. But the running backs must step up.

“I feel good about it,” said Barclay. “I feel good about it. We have got some talented guys. Even though they haven’t played a lot of snaps, we have some difference-makers back there. I feel real good about it.”

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