Purdue working on plan without starting receiver Young

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Domonique Young had more catches and more yards than any Purdue receiver through the season's first five games.

And he may not play in another one.

Though there's no confirmation yet that Young's right leg injury is a season-ending one — Darrell Hazell said Monday there are no details until an MRI can be done — it's likely that will be the case. So the Boilermakers will need players to emerge to fill Young's starting outside receiver spot, one from which he'd caught 29 balls for 338 yards so far this season.

Senior Bilal Marshall moved into Young's spot after the injury against Illinois Saturday, and he likely will get the bulk of the snaps against Iowa this week. Marshall has 10 catches for 117 yards this season, but he's found a niche as one of Purdue's most versatile offensive players. He can play outside or in the slot, which he's done as well this season. He's also been used as a Wildcat quarterback — though Hazell said Purdue calls the package "Amtrak," not Wildcat. He's run a fake punt. He's lined up as a running back and run a route.

“He can stretch the field vertically as well as do some other things for us,” Hazell said Monday.

Marshall’s most impactful game of the season — and maybe of his career — to this point was in Purdue’s victory over Nevada in Week 3. In it, he was a model of efficiency. Marshall unofficially had only 14 offensive snaps in that game but caught a career-high five passes, ran a play out of the Wildcat and threw on a fake punt.

After that performance, in which he had a game-changing, deep TD right before the half, Marshall said it was a rewarding day in what’s been a long journey for the senior from Miami. He came to Purdue as a quarterback before making the switch to receiver but not getting much playing time until this season.

"At some moments, you get impatient as you get older, it gets tough. You hear a lot of outside stuff, and you start letting it creep into your mind. But one day I just sat down and (said), 'I’ve got to go to work. My moment will come,' " Marshall said the week after the Nevada game.

But Purdue has other options for that outside receiver position.

Hazell mentioned true freshman Terrance Landers, who has played sparingly this season, as well as primary punt/kick returner Malik Kimbrough, who didn’t get an offensive snap until last week and has been practicing with the running backs.

Landers isn’t quite up to speed yet on the intricacies of Purdue’s offense, including the hand signals that relay in plays, Hazell said, but there’s little question about Landers’ physical capabilities.

Landers, for one, said two weeks ago that he’s appreciated not redshirting, even though he hasn’t seen a lot of game snaps.

"I’m learning every day," Landers said. "When my number is called, I think I’ll be able to go get the ball. Just waiting patiently. I’m getting mental reps and I’m taking little stuff that Yancey, Blough, Domo does, just in the route-running. I try to put it in my game so that next year I can be that go-to guy or that guy that you’ll rely on."

Marshall said he’s seen Landers’ growth over only the first few months he’s been on campus. Though there have been what Marshall called “hiccups” with the rookie — including a disciplinary issue that forced him into the pit for a full practice earlier this year — the senior generally has been impressed with Landers’ maturation.

"He’s getting it," Marshall said of Landers before the Maryland game. "He still has a couple MAs on the field, but he’s really starting to get it outside of football. He’s where he needs to be. He’s doing what he needs to do. As soon as we got him signed, I was watching film and Coach (Gerad) Parker came right into the office where I was at and he was like, ‘This is your little brother. You need to show him the way for the six months that you’re here.’

“He’s going to be a special guy. I don’t want him to hear me say that, but he’s going to be a special guy."

Kimbrough will move into the receiver group, a position he played some in junior college, Hazell said. Kimbrough had three catches against Illinois, but none of them came down the field. Kimbrough's touches were either on a shovel or a screen pass Saturday. Still, he was able to make a move in space on one of the short passes and turn it into a 45-yard TD.

"As many times as we can expose him to the field, I think the better off we're all going to be," Hazell said. "He's just such a dynamic player."

Anthony Mahoungou played a couple of snaps against Illinois and could pick up a handful more without Young, but it’s likely Purdue will turn toward Marshall, Landers and Kimbrough first.

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