Tight End Steps Into Veteran Role Durham Prepares for a Team ‘Counting On’ Him
8 PAGE 8 THE EXPONENT, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2020 Tight end steps into veteran role Durham prepares for a team ‘counting on’ him BY EMILY PRIMM of tight ends, to his high school la- Staff Reporter crosse career. He didn’t pick up football until his senior year, but Sophomore tight end Payne Dur- tallied 22 receptions for 330 yards ham had to grow up quickly last sea- and fve touchdowns by the end of son to fll the veteran position as an a the season. underclassman. He played in two games as part of The age spread of tight ends for the reserves his freshman year, but the Boilermakers ranges between a it wasn’t until last year that he was freshman, three redshirts and one inducted into the Boilermakers’ ar- other sophomore who transferred senal. from the defensive end position this In a receiving core that was stacked season. With 250 snaps in the posi- with such big names as Hopkins and tion under his belt, Durham has the sophomores Rondale Moore and Da- experience necessary to be a leader vid Bell, Durham still found a way to among the tight ends. make plays. Last year he played in the shadow He saw the feld in all 12 games of ffth-year star tight end Brycen and started in four. In last year’s Hopkins and studied the dynamics game against Vanderbilt University, of Boilermakers’ offense. his frst reception ended up being his “Last year, I had a very specifc frst touchdown. He had eight more role behind (Hopkins),” Durham receptions for 82 yards and three said.
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