PASADENA, CA — Purdue football’s offense clicked at UCLA on Saturday even with one of its primary components compromised.
Boilermakers coach Barry Odom confirmed after the game running back Fame Ijeboi was not at full strength. He said the Minnesota transfer was limited in practice last week after 33 touches in the previous week’s double-overtime loss to Wake Forest.
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Ijeboi averaged only 2.8 yards per carry in the 52-38 loss. His longest carry went for 10 yards, but he did rush for two touchdowns.
“I was proud of the way he fought,” Odom said. “He was a little bit limited throughout the week. He’s a warrior in the way he prepares, the way he practices and the way he plays. Really, really proud of him.”
Odom, though, said injury aggravation was not the reason why Travis Terrell Jr. was in the backfield for the second series of the game. He said that rotation had been determined earlier in the week. The staff did not deviate from the plan even though Purdue‘s first series lasted only one rep − a 75-yard touchdown connection from quarterback Ryan Browne to receiver Xavier Townsend.
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Browne ran for 18 yards on the first play of that second series − Purdue’s longest run of the night. Terrell took a handoff on the second series and fumbled. UCLA recovered and drove for a touchdown to go up 21-7.
“Things change throughout the course of a game, but you want to try to stay true to that,” Odom said of the rotation, which gives the players an expectation of their usage.
“You look at what Fame’s done the first three weeks, it’s a long season. You look at durability at that position, so there was a little more rotation tonight than maybe the first two weeks.”
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Terrell showed promise in preseason camp as someone with breakaway potential, especially when getting the ball in space. He has not found much traction in actual games, though, when attempting to run between the tackles. He carried three times for 9 yards against UCLA.
Third-string running back Jerrick Gibson also carried three times for 9 yards.
Purdue continued to seek ground-game traction despite key injuries on the offensive line. Brock Brownfield started at left guard again after being forced from the Wake Forest game in the first quarter with an apparent upper-body injury.
However, returning starting left tackle Joey Tanona has not yet made his season debut. Odom said he hoped the Zionsville grad would be able to practice this week. He has been out since the middle of preseason camp due to an ankle injury.
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“Just at that position, at his size, it’s been a little slower (to heal),” Odom said.
Despite struggling to run with authority, Purdue averaged 8.3 yards per play with 23 first downs and went 3-for-3 on fourth-down conversions.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue star running back wasn’t 100% at UCLA. What we know
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