Purdue Boilermakers Roster Update for Iowa

Coach Jeff Brohm, speaking after practice on Thursday provided an update on some key personnel leading into the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday.

• Running Back King Doerue will be out again on Saturday. Coach Brohm has previously spoken about Doerue having an issue that will need to be dealt with on a week to week basis and it appears this week he is unable to go.
• Cornerback Cory Trice will be available after going down to injury against Wisconsin in the first half. Trice spent the first four weeks of the season rounding back into form after missing all of 2021 with a knee injury.
• Cornerback Jamari Brown will be available after going down to injury against Wisconsin.
• Wide Receiver Broc Thompson will remain out as he recovers from the knee injury he sustained during the Penn State game. Thompson is recovering from a surgery on that knee as a result of that injury.
• Running Back Dylan Downing is expected to play and provide depth behind Devin Mockobee.
• Defensive Back Chris Jefferson is not expected to return to the team after he has missed the previous two games dealing with what has been described as mental health concerns. This, in effect, ends Jefferson’s college football career as he has now exhausted his eligibility.

What Does This Mean?

Getting Trice and Brown back is absolutely a huge boost to the entire team. Against a team like Iowa that already struggles to the throw the ball, having your best options at cornerback available allows the front seven and safeties to focus more on the concern of the running game. This is especially true if the game is played in wet and windy conditions which it appears it will be. The loss of Chris Jefferson can’t be overstated as the struggles of the defensive backfield, specifically at safety, have cost Purdue games. Jefferson was a ball hawk who was reliable in space to make tackles and was good in pass coverage.

Having Downing back is also a huge boost in the event that Purdue will need to lean even more on the running game in less than ideal conditions. I’m all for giving Devin Mockobee the ball as much as possible but the reality is the underclassman is still slight at just 180 pounds and running the ball 30+ times against an incredibly solid B1G defense isn’t ideal. If Downing can give the offense 15+ snaps to spell Mockobee, that bodes well for the entire offense.