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. “This year, it’s a little bit dif- more scores by the end of the season. ferent. There’s guys counting on me, To maintain his power in the red and coaches are counting on me.” zone, Durham said he wants to keep EXPONENT FILE PHOTO Durham says Hopkins served as up what he did last year and fnd a Then-redshirt freshman Payne Durham catches a third down pass from quarterback Jack Plummer. Durham would an important role model for him, way to always come away with the score on this play to put Purdue in the lead during the Boilermakers’ 2019 game against Nebraska. which he hopes to do this year for ball. been postponed. the rest of the young tight end squad. “(I need to) get myself open and “I was so down in the dumps when “Garrett (Miller) and Kyle (Bi- in tight spaces making sharp cuts,” it got canceled,” Durham said. “I lodeau) come over to my house a Durham said. “(When) the ball’s up think I had a really good offseason, whole lot of nights and just study the in the air, kind of having a basketball so I was ready to show what I would playbook with me,” Durham said. rebounding mentality, that that’s my have been working for.” “(I) teach them things that were ball, and I have to come down with it. Durham was not the only person taught to me, kind of how to conduct There’s no other option.” in the locker room who felt that way. When the news of the canceled “There’s guys counting on me, and coaches are season was released, Durham said morale was so low that the train- counting on me.“ ing facility was “probably one of the – Payne Durham, worst places to be in America.” However, last month’s update sophomore tight end announcing this year’s modified football season flipped the team’s themselves.” Durham added he wants to fo- bummed morale on its head. Dur- Tight ends coach Ryan Wallace cus on third-down conversions and ham spoke for Boilermakers on and said he feels good about Durham be- lengthening the 9.1 yards per recep- off the field when he talked about ing the number one tight end. tion he had last season. returning to the field Saturday. “Payne has a very high ceiling,” he Despite the ups and downs of the “(The news) couldn’t come fast DAVID HICKEY | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER said. “He stays motivated because he offseason, Durham made the most of enough,” Durham said. “I’ve had the The Purdue offense celebrates with then-redshirt freshman tight end Payne never has a bad day.” it. That being said, he was still dis- jitters all week. It’s a surreal feeling Durham, who had just scored Purdue’s sole touchdown of the game on Sat- Wallace attributed Durham’s appointed when the news came in that we’re fnally here, and I’m ex- urday. With rain pouring down for most of the game, Purdue struggled and physicality and agility, both traits August that the 2020-21 season had cited.” fell 24-6 to Illinois. THE EXPONENT, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2020 PAGE 9 Boiler defense prepares for possible air attack BY ALEX BROPHY show with three touchdowns, Staff Reporter including a 98-yard kick re- turn. The road to the 2020 season Purdue fared well against has had its ups and downs, the the then-No. 23 Hawkeyes most recent being head coach last season, despite losing the Jeff Brohm’s COVID-19 di- matchup. Holding the Iowa agnosis. Brohm announced offense to field goals the entire Monday that his brother, co- first half and taking the Hawk- offensive coordinator and eyes to third down a total of 13 times, the Boilers forced a 26- quarterbacks coach Brian 20 final score. Brohm, will lead the Boiler- Karlaftis said the key to makers against the University success on the defensive side of Iowa on Saturday. of the ball is a “bend-don’t- But according to players, break” mentality. Last year the absence of Jeff Brohm Purdue committed two turn- hasn’t fazed them before game overs, and five penalties for 40 time. Sophomore defensive yards against the Hawkeyes. end George Karlaftis sees the Iowa has a long history of continuous improvement the success not only in the Big team has made since last sea- Ten, but in the world of col- son. lege football. “The coordinators have “The winning culture they done a tremendous job,” have there, it’s always going to Karlaftis said. “Coach (Jeff) be a challenge,” safeties coach Brohm is with us, not physi- Anthony Poindexter said. cally, but when it’s necessary “When I was a kid playing in DAVID HICKEY | PHOTOS EDITOR he lets us know.” college, Iowa was a good foot- Then-junior defensive end Derrick Barnes bursts through the Minnesota offensive line in pursuit of the quarterback. Barnes The Iowa Hawkeyes capped ball team.” finished with two tackles and half a sack. off the 2019 season with a And this could be the year dominant victory over the that the physical, run-first of- “They have a great core of vantage against the Hawkeyes Draft and more than 20 to the p.m. EST. Since the pandemic University of Southern Cali- fense takes to the air. Head receivers,” Poindexter said. this Saturday when it comes transfer portal. has prohibited in-person at- fornia in the Holiday Bowl. coach Kirk Ferentz may have “They’re well-coached and do to depth. Since the conclusion The Boilermakers are set to tendance, fans can tune in to Sophomore wide receiver Ih- his best group of wide receiv- a great job at recruiting.” of the 2019 season, Ferentz open the season in Ross-Ade the Big Ten Network to cheer mir Smith-Marsette stole the ers in his 21-year tenure. Purdue may have the ad- has lost 11 players to the NFL Stadium. Kickoff is at 3:30 on the Boilermakers. With head coach sidelined by virus, hope remains for strong opening BY ALEX SABRI do that.” Staff Reporter Jeff Brohm emphasized the tone the Iowa game sets for this shortened season, saying the With just three days until Purdue football’s “tough contest” will be crucial in determining first contest in almost 11 months, head coach the team’s future success. Jeff Brohm and his coaching staff are prepar- “We’re looking forward to playing a great op- ing to rebound from a disappointing 2019 sea- ponent in Iowa,” Jeff Brohm said. “We’re go- son. Their first test will come against the Uni- ing to have to play well to win and find a way versity of Iowa in Saturday’s home opener. to beat them at their own game. This will be a After Jeff Brohm tested positive for CO- great test to see how we stack and measure up VID-19 on Sunday, Brian Brohm, the head (in the Big Ten), because this is one of the best coach’s younger brother and a co-offensive teams in our conference.” coordinator, was named the team’s acting D.J. Johnson, the sophomore cornerback head coach and play caller against Iowa. Fel- who transferred from Iowa, has been cleared to low offensive coordinator and wideouts coach play against his former team. The Indianapolis Jamarcus Shephard will assist him on the side- native has three years of eligibility at Purdue. lines. The Boilermakers have three quarterbacks Brian Brohm has worked with his older that could be potential starters in Satur- brother since their days at Western Kentucky day’s game: sophomore Jack Plummer, ju- University. The coaches transferred to Purdue nior Aidan O’Connell and graduate UCLA when Jeff Brohm was named the Boilermak- transfer Austin Burton. While Plummer and ers’ head coach in 2016. O’Connell each had starting experience for Jeff Brohm said during a Monday press con- the Boilers last year, with seven and three ference he’s confident in his coaching staff’s games respectively, Burton started one game readiness to fill in.