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Jeff Brohm talks Purdue injuries, discipline for cited running back

Mark Schipper

By Mark Schipper

Published:

The Purdue Boilermakers pulled off a surprising Week 1 upset at home in West Lafayette, a 24-20 win over the favored Iowa Hawkeyes on a fourth-quarter drive.

Making the win more impressive was the fact that Purdue was minus Jeff Brohm, their Covid-19 stricken head coach, and made it happen with his younger brother, Brian, commanding the sideline at Ross-Ade Stadium. 

But the elder Brohm has returned to the fold, and he discussed his team’s injuries and a stand-alone disciplinary issue with Gold and Black reporter Tom Dienhart.

First, the question on everyone’s mind, both inside West Lafayette and out, was the much-heralded return of All-American Rondale Moore. Brohm, as he has so far this season, pushed the decision down the road. 

Earlier this week, co-OC and WR coach JaMarcus Shephard revealed that Moore was not practicing. That makes it unlikely Moore will be good to go for Week 2.

Brohm also said offensive lineman Cam Craig will miss some time:

King Doerue, a running back, got the Moore treatment.

And finally, Brohm updated four-star running back Tirek Murphy, who was stopped near Purdue’s campus around 1 am after driving with his headlights off, according to a police report on the incident.

Officers reportedly found 30 grams of marijuana in the vehicle, a little more than an ounce, after smelling it in the vehicle during the stop. Murphy was cited for possession but not detained. He will have a court appearance next month. 

Coach Brohm told Dienhart that Murphy would face a punishment within the program for the citation. He did not play Saturday against Iowa. 

Purdue at 1-0 travels to Champaign this Saturday to play 0-1 Illinois in a noon-time Halloween day matchup. 

Mark Schipper

Mark Schipper is a reporter, sportswriter, and aspiring novelist living in Chicago, Illinois.