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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The once injury-saddled running back position is on the verge of being hale and hearty.
And that figures to equate into the Boilermakers becoming more productive running the football. They rushed for a season-high 127 yards in last Saturday's 40-14 Homecoming victory over Maryland.
Freshman King Doerue has emerged as the featured back. Against Maryland, he rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown and had three receptions for 28 yards.
"From Day 1, King has showed promise," Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm said. "He goes hard, runs hard. When we put a monitor on our guys that gauges the speed of how hard they go in practice every day, he's now at the top (with Rondale Moore sidelined). That carries over to the game. It was great to see him in the pass game; not only have some good runs, but also catch the ball in the backfield."
Also against Maryland, fifth-year Tario Fuller made his season debut after being sidelined with an injury, gaining 10 yards on five carries.
"I was proud of Tario," Brohm said. "He ran hard. There were a couple times he was a little tentative, but he just had not played in a while. We're going to continue to utilize him, and I think he will continue to hopefully get better."
Freshman Da'Joun Hewitt made his first appearance against the Terrapins, as well, with four carries for nine yards.
"Da'Joun did some good things," Brohm said. "It was good to get his feet wet. That's what we want to do, prepare him every week to play. He may be a little slipperyer than King at times, and I think he'll be a very good player."
Another previously shelved fifth-year back, Richie Worship, is closer to getting back on the field. A position once depleted is now vitalized, and Brohm said the Boilermakers will continue to work on being more fertile on the ground.
"We do want to try to run the ball more successfully than we were at the beginning of the season," he said. "I think we've made some small strides."
The Boilermakers (2-4, 1-2 Big Ten) open the second half of the season at No. 23 Iowa (4-2, 1-2) on Saturday. Kickoff is set for noon ET at Kinnick Stadium, and the game will be televised by ESPN2.
Buy Tickets
Moon-Inspired Helmet Auction
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The once injury-saddled running back position is on the verge of being hale and hearty.
And that figures to equate into the Boilermakers becoming more productive running the football. They rushed for a season-high 127 yards in last Saturday's 40-14 Homecoming victory over Maryland.
Freshman King Doerue has emerged as the featured back. Against Maryland, he rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown and had three receptions for 28 yards.
"From Day 1, King has showed promise," Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm said. "He goes hard, runs hard. When we put a monitor on our guys that gauges the speed of how hard they go in practice every day, he's now at the top (with Rondale Moore sidelined). That carries over to the game. It was great to see him in the pass game; not only have some good runs, but also catch the ball in the backfield."
Also against Maryland, fifth-year Tario Fuller made his season debut after being sidelined with an injury, gaining 10 yards on five carries.
"I was proud of Tario," Brohm said. "He ran hard. There were a couple times he was a little tentative, but he just had not played in a while. We're going to continue to utilize him, and I think he will continue to hopefully get better."
Freshman Da'Joun Hewitt made his first appearance against the Terrapins, as well, with four carries for nine yards.
"Da'Joun did some good things," Brohm said. "It was good to get his feet wet. That's what we want to do, prepare him every week to play. He may be a little slipperyer than King at times, and I think he'll be a very good player."
Another previously shelved fifth-year back, Richie Worship, is closer to getting back on the field. A position once depleted is now vitalized, and Brohm said the Boilermakers will continue to work on being more fertile on the ground.
"We do want to try to run the ball more successfully than we were at the beginning of the season," he said. "I think we've made some small strides."
The Boilermakers (2-4, 1-2 Big Ten) open the second half of the season at No. 23 Iowa (4-2, 1-2) on Saturday. Kickoff is set for noon ET at Kinnick Stadium, and the game will be televised by ESPN2.