Purdue hires Jackson to coach running backs
January 26, 2009 by feed · Leave a Comment
Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg
Cornell Jackson has been hired as Purdue's running backs coach, the team announced Sunday night.
Jackson coached linebackers at Kansas State in 2008, but the majority of his career has been spent with running backs. He tutored backs at Baylor (2007), New Mexico (2005-06), Washington (2004) and Arizona State (1996-99). Former New Mexico stars Rodney Ferguson and DonTrell Moore are among the players Jackson coached.
"Cornell is a great addition to our staff," Purdue head coach Danny Hope said in a statement. "He comes highly recommended and has coached in some big-time conferences. He's an aggressive coach and an excellent recruiter. He preaches ball security, physical running and finishing each play. We really hit the jackpot with him."
Jackson replaces Joel Thomas, who recently left to become running backs coach at Washington. The 48-year-old takes over a group that loses top rusher Kory Sheets but returns Jaycen Taylor, a key contributor in 2006 and 2007 who tore his ACL in preseason camp in August.
Hope is still looking for a defensive coordinator to round out his coaching staff after Brock Spack left to become Illinois State's head coach.
Running back spot to get makeover in Big Ten
January 9, 2009 by feed · Leave a Comment
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| US Presswire | |
| Javon Ringer and Chris Wells will be working on Sundays in 2009. |
Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg
The Big Ten's best position on the field this season will have a very different look in 2009.
After boasting three of the nation's top six rushers and six players ranked in the top 40, the Big Ten has seen major turnover at the running back position. In addition to graduating seniors, the league will lose three underclassmen — Iowa's Shonn Greene, Ohio State's Chris "Beanie" Wells and Wisconsin's P.J. Hill — to the NFL draft.
Seven of the 11 conference members have lost their leading rusher from this season. And of the remaining four teams — Penn State, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota — only Penn State finished in the Top 25 nationally in rushing offense (205.9 yards per game) this fall.
Though the league figures to make much-needed upgrades at quarterbacks, there will be a void in several backfields.
Here's a look at what the Big Ten lost at running back:
- Iowa's Shonn Greene won the Doak Walker Award as nation's top back, ranked second nationally in rushing average (142.3 ypg) and set a single-season school record with 1,850 rushing yards.
- Michigan State's Javon Ringer ranked fourth nationally in rushing average (125.9 ypg) and led the nation in scoring (10.2 points per game) with 22 rushing touchdowns. Few non-quarterbacks accounted for more of their team's offensive production than Ringer.
- Ohio State's Beanie Wells finished sixth nationally in rushing and racked up 1,197 rushing yards despite missing three games with a foot/toe injury. Wells finished his career ranked fourth on Ohio State's career rushing list.
- Purdue's Kory Sheets ranked 31st nationally in rushing and tied for 19th in scoring this season. Sheets also caught 37 passes out of the backfield and ranked sixth in the league in all-purpose yards.
- Wisconsin's P.J. Hill became just the second player in team history to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in his first three season as a Badger. Despite splitting carries with John Clay, Hill racked up 1,161 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.
- Northwestern's Tyrell Sutton led the team in rushing (890) and ranked fourth in receptions (35) despite missing the final four regular-season contests with a wrist injury. Sutton was a four-year starter and the team's most consistent offensive player.
- Indiana's Marcus Thigpen ranked fourth in the league in all-purpose yards (143.2 ypg), tied for eighth in scoring and ninth in kickoff return average. Thigpen quietly averaged 6.7 yards per carry for an Indiana team that didn't have many reliable options on offense.
- Michigan's Sam McGuffie transferred to Rice after a season in which he finished second on the team in rushing yards (486) and third in receptions (19).
Several of these teams developed backups for 2009. Iowa's Jewel Hampton, Wisconsin's Clay and Ohio State's Dan Herron look capable of stepping into featured roles. Purdue's Jaycen Taylor returns from injury and likely will be the starter.
Other squads relied heavily on players who won't be back in 2009.
But outside of State College and maybe Ann Arbor, the running back competitions will be one of the offseason's top story lines as we inch closer toward Sept. 5.
Big Ten year-end running back rankings
December 23, 2008 by feed · Leave a Comment
Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg
The rankings started with arguably the Big Ten’s most disappointing position and now move on to its most dominant one. No conference boasted a better crop of running backs than the Big Ten, which had three players ranked in the top seven nationally in rushing and another ranked 26th.
These rankings will be slightly different from the other positions because this group of backs should be evaluated in two ways: 2008 performance/value to their team and overall ability/pro potential.
Here’s a refresher of my preseason rankings, which weren’t as bad as the quarterbacks but had one notable omission (some dude named Shonn Greene).
1. Chris “Beanie” Wells, Ohio State
2. Javon Ringer, Michigan State
3. P.J. Hill, Wisconsin
4. Tyrell Sutton, Northwestern
5. Evan Royster, Penn State
6. Kory Sheets, Purdue
7. Jaycen Taylor, Purdue
8. Marcus Thigpen, Indiana
9. Stephfon Green, Penn State
10. Lance Smith-Williams, Wisconsin*
*-Rankings done before dismissal from team
Running back rankings (2008 performance/value to team)
Final Big Ten injury report: Week 13
November 22, 2008 by feed · Leave a Comment
Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg
Courtesy of collegeinjuryreport.com and some of my own research.
ILLINOIS (at Northwestern)
- QB Eddie McGee, toe, probable
- LB Martez Wilson, out, suspension
- DT Josh Brent, knee, questionable
- RB Mikel LeShoure, jaw, questionable
- FB Rahkeem Smith, suspension, questionable
- S Garrett Edwards, shoulder, questionable
- OT Ryan Palmer, foot, questionable
- CB Miami Thomas, knee, out (season)
- DT Sirod Williams, knee, out (season)
INDIANA (at Purdue)
- RB Zach Davis-Walker, thumb, questionable
- S Jerimy Finch, ankle, questionable
- RB Bryan Payton, ankle, questionable
- CB Richard Council, knee, questionable
- LB Will Patterson, knee, questionable
- CB Richard Council, knee, doubtful
- OL Andrew McDonald, undisclosed, questionable
- S Nick Polk, knee, out (season)
- TE Brian Zematis, ankle, out (season)
- S Austin Thomas, knee, out (season)
- OL Dennis Zeigler, knee, out (season)
- CB Chris Phillips, knee, out (season)
IOWA (at Minnesota)
- OG Andy Kuempel, muscle pull, doubtful
- OL Wes Aeschliman, hip, out (season)
- S Harold Dalton, suspension, out
- TE Tony Moeaki, leg, questionable
- OL James Ferentz, suspension, out
MICHIGAN (at Ohio State)
- WR Zion Babb, dismissal, out (season)
- RB Sam McGuffie, shoulder/personal, questionable
- OT Stephen Schilling, knee, questionable
- RB Carlos Brown, foot, questionable
- WR Junior Hemingway, mononucleosis, out
- QB Steven Threet, shoulder, doubtful,
- LB Kevin Leach, ankle, questionable
- T Mark Huyge, ankle, out
- WR Terence Robinson, knee, doubtful
- S Brandon Smith, appendix, out (season)
- G Cory Zirbel, knee, out (season)
MICHIGAN STATE (at Penn State)
- WR Keshawn Martin, undisclosed, questionable
- CB Chris L. Rucker, leg, questionable
- WR Mark Dell, knee, questionable
- S Roderick Jenrette, personal, out (season)
MINNESOTA (vs. Iowa)
- WR Eric Decker, ankle, probable
- S Kyle Theret, leg, probable
- LB Lee Campbell, questionable, hamstring
- RB Duane Bennett, knee, out (season)
NORTHWESTERN (vs. Illinois)
- DT Corbin Bryant, knee, out (season)
- LB Malcolm Arrington, knee, out (season)
- QB Mike Kafka, concussion, probable
- DE Vince Browne, knee, out
- RB Omar Conteh, knee, out (season)
- TE/FB Drake Dunsmore, knee, out (season)
- DE Rejaie Johnson, shoulder, out (season)
- RB Tyrell Sutton, wrist, out
- CB Justan Vaughn, shoulder, out (season)
OHIO STATE (vs. Michigan)
- WR Ray Small, suspension, questionable
- CB Jermale Hines, leg, doubtful
- OL Ben Person, leg, out
- OL Connor Smith, undisclosed, questionable
- DE Curtis Terry, undisclosed, out (season)
- OL Mike Adams, ankle, out (season)
- OL J.B. Shugarts, shoulder, out (season)
- DE Lawrence Wilson, knee, out (season)
- CB Andre Amos, knee, out (season)
PENN STATE (vs. Michigan State)
- DE Josh Gaines, ankle, questionable
- OL Ako Poti, knee, out (season)
- DT Devon Still, ankle, out (season)
- RB Brent Carter, knee, out (season)
- OL Doug Klopacz, knee, out (season)
- DE Jerome Hayes, knee, out (season)
PURDUE (vs. Indiana)
- TE Kyle Adams, knee, doubtful
- LB Jason Werner, back, out
- OL Justin Pierce, groin, questionable
- OT Sean Sester, knee, probable
- G Eric Hedstrom, knee, probable
- QB Joey Elliott, shoulder, out (season)
- T Garrett Miller, knee, out (season)
- RB Jaycen Taylor, knee, out (season)
WISCONSIN (vs. Cal-Poly)
- T Eric Vanden Heuvel, foot, probable
- WR Kyle Jefferson, concussion, out
- TE Lance Kendricks, leg, out (season)
- WR Maurice Moore, leg, doubtful
- TE Travis Beckum, leg, out (season)
- DE Brendan Kelly, thumb, out (season)
- CB Aaron Henry, knee, out (season)
- DE Kirk DeCremer, back, out (season)
Final Big Ten injury report: Week 12
November 15, 2008 by feed · Leave a Comment
Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg
Courtesy of collegeinjuryreport.com and some of my own research. Michigan State has a bye this week.
ILLINOIS (vs. Ohio State)
- RB Mikel LeShoure, jaw, doubtful
- FB Rahkeem Smith, suspension, probable (suspension lifted)
- S Garrett Edwards, shoulder, questionable
- OT Xavier Fulton, shoulder, probable
- OT Ryan Palmer, foot, probable
- CB Miami Thomas, knee, out (season)
- DT Sirod Williams, knee, out (season)
INDIANA (at Penn State)
- RB Zach Davis-Walker, thumb, questionable
- S Jerimy Finch, ankle, questionable
- RB Bryan Payton, ankle, out
- QB Kellen Lewis, ankle, probable
- QB Ben Chappell, probable, head
- LB Will Patterson, knee, out
- CB Richard Council, knee, doubtful
- S Joe Kleinsmith, undisclosed, questionable
- OL Pete Saxon, undisclosed, questionable
- OL Mike Reiter, abdominal, questionable
- OL James Brewer, ankle, questionable
- OT Rodger Saffold, knee, probable
- OL Andrew McDonald, undisclosed, questionable
- S Nick Polk, knee, out (season)
- TE Brian Zematis, ankle, out (season)
- S Austin Thomas, knee, out (season)
- OL Dennis Zeigler, knee, out (season)
- CB Chris Phillips, knee, out (season)
IOWA (vs. Purdue)
- OG Andy Kuempel, muscle pull, doubtful
- OL Wes Aeschliman, hip, out (season)
- S Harold Dalton, suspension, out
- TE Tony Moeaki, leg, doubtful
- OL James Ferentz, out, suspension
MICHIGAN (vs. Northwestern)
- RB Brandon Minor, shoulder/wrist/ribs, doubtful
- RB Carlos Brown, foot, questionable
- OL David Molk, toe, probable
- WR Junior Hemingway, mononucleosis, out
- QB Steven Threet, concussion, probable
- LB Kevin Leach, ankle, questionable
- T Mark Huyge, ankle, questionable
- WR Terence Robinson, knee, questionable
- S Brandon Smith, appendix, out (season)
- G Cory Zirbel, knee, out (season)
MINNESOTA (at Wisconsin)
- WR Eric Decker, ankle, out
- RB Duane Bennett, knee, out (season)
NORTHWESTERN (at Michigan)
- LB Malcolm Arrington, knee, out (season)
- QB C.J. Bacher, hamstring, probable
- DE Vince Browne, knee, out
- RB Omar Conteh, knee, out (season)
- TE/FB Drake Dunsmore, knee, out (season)
- DE Rejaie Johnson, shoulder, out (season)
- RB Tyrell Sutton, wrist, out
- CB Justan Vaughn, shoulder, out (season)
OHIO STATE (at Illinois)
- WR Ray Small, out, suspension
- OL Ben Person, leg, out
- DE Thaddeus Gibson, ankle, probable
- DE Curtis Terry, undisclosed, out(season)
- OL Mike Adams, ankle, out (season)
- OL J.B. Shugarts, shoulder, doubtful
- DE Lawrence Wilson, knee, out (season)
- CB Andre Amos, knee, out (season)
PENN STATE (vs. Indiana)
- CB Drew Astorino, thumb, probable
- DE Josh Gaines, ankle, probable
- OL Ako Poti, knee, out (season)
- DT Devon Still, ankle, out (season)
- RB Brent Carter, knee, out (season)
- OL Doug Klopacz, knee, out (season)
- DE Jerome Hayes, knee, out (season)
PURDUE (at Iowa)
- QB Curtis Painter, shoulder, probable
- TE Kyle Adams, knee, doubtful
- LB Jason Werner, back, doubtful
- OL Justin Pierce, groin, questionable
- OT Sean Sester, knee, questionable
- G Eric Hedstrom, knee, questionable
- QB Joey Elliott, shoulder, out (season)
- T Garrett Miller, knee, out (season)
- RB Jaycen Taylor, knee, out (season)
WISCONSIN (vs. Minnesota)
- T Eric Vanden Heuvel, foot, doubtful
- LB Jaevery McFadden, concussion, probable
- TE Lance Kendricks, leg, out (season)
- WR Maurice Moore, leg, questionable
- TE Travis Beckum, leg, out (season)
- DE Brendan Kelly, thumb, out (season)
- CB Aaron Henry, knee, out (season)
- DE Kirk DeCremer, back, out (season)
New Week, New Position: Purdue’s Justin Siller Gets Crash Course at Quarterback
October 28, 2008 by feed · Leave a Comment
Please forgive Purdue’s Justin Siller if he’s never sure which part of his playbook to turn to. Don’t blame him if he forgets who his position coach is. Pardon the young man if he loses track of whether he should be giving handoffs or receiving them.
After all, he’s only been a quarterback for a week.
(The second time around, that is.)
Let’s back up for a moment, shall we?
Siller was a highly-recruited dual threat quarterback out of Detroit, Michigan before signing with Purdue. Trumpeted as the heir apparent and another in a line of stellar Boilermaker signal-callers, he was prepared to back up incumbent Curtis Painter in this, his redshirt freshman season, and eventually take over as the next great Purdue quarterback.
Then things changed unexpectedly during preseason camp in August when running back Jaycen Taylor tore his ACL. Taylor’s injury left the Boilermakers’ backfield dangerously thin, and with Joey Elliott seeming to beat out Siller as the backup quarterback, Coach Joe Tiller decided that Justin’s game-changing speed could come in handy at a different position.
“I got a hint from the running backs coach that they were thinking about [moving me to running back] and that they were going to discuss it as a coaching staff,” Siller recounted. “They came and talked to me about it, and they got my opinion on it.”
While he still preferred quarterback, Siller said that he told the coaches “anything I could do to help the team was fine with me.” All of a sudden, Purdue had itself a new 6’4” running back.
Siller saw limited action in the first four games of the season, most notably a highlight and lowlight against Oregon in Week Two. His 20-yard run on a broken play helped set up an early touchdown as Purdue jumped out on top, but his ill-advised option pitch in the fourth quarter cost the Boilermakers a possession in a game they would ultimately lose in overtime.
As the season wore on, Purdue’s offense struggled, and Siller was helpless to do anything but watch. While he didn’t reach the field as a running back in three straight losses to Penn State, Ohio State, and Northwestern, the Boilermakers weren’t faring very well at his old position either.
Even though he continued to be given the starting quarterback assignment each week, Curtis Painter was benched in two different games for his inconsistent play. Joey Elliott, the backup who had beaten out Siller in camp, relieved Painter in Evanston on Oct. 18 but went down to a season-ending separated shoulder minutes later.
No healthy backup? Guess what, Justin Siller? You’re a quarterback again.
Despite his statements earlier in the season that there were “a lot of reasons why [Siller] should stay at running back,” Coach Joe Tiller didn’t hesitate in re-switching Siller and installing him as the No. 2 quarterback behind Painter. The Boilermakers put in a limited package of “about 20 plays” for the young quarterback (turned running back turned quarterback) in preparation for last Saturday’s game against Minnesota.
No one thought they’d need all 20…but then, Painter went down with a shoulder injury on the first Boilermaker offensive series of the afternoon. Without any warning, a “shocked” Siller, less than a week removed from his previous life as a running back, was pressed into duty behind center.
“It’s pretty tough…but it’s something we have to deal with in the game of football,” Siller said afterwards. “I have to go in when I’m called upon.”
Although Purdue dropped a 17-6 decision to the Gophers, Siller had some success moving the offense. However, it was mostly with his legs. The Boilers finished with only 109 passing yards, a record-low in the Tiller era.
Reviews of Siller’s quarterback debut were mixed. While linebacker Anthony Heygood told me that Justin “played well” and defensive tackle Mike Neal said his performance was “equal to any quarterback we’ve had in there,” coach Joe Tiller’s opinion was not so glowing.
When asked to sum up Siller’s play, Tiller’s long awkward pause said it all. “He has a long way to go,” the veteran coach finally muttered. He elaborated, “[Justin] knew the offense from a terminology point of view, but he didn’t know it from an execution point of view. ”
Looking at his first experience under center through Siller’s eyes, the glass is half full. He repeated words like “comfortable” and “confident” several times while meeting with the media afterwards, saying that, “I felt pretty prepared. And as the game went on, I got more comfortable.”
Siller also adamantly expressed his conviction that the Boilermaker offense would eventually get untracked: “We have to get it done for our team…it’s something that will come with time, I believe.”
It’s anybody’s guess where the Boilermakers go from here. If Painter is healthy for Saturday’s game against Michigan, he’ll get the starting assignment, which Siller thinks is the right decision. “Curtis gives us the best opportunity to succeed. With him being a senior, he’s very experienced, and he has the offense down. If he’s not healthy, I have to go step in and do my best to lead us to victory.”
The two quarterbacks are both listed as possible starters on the latest depth chart.
The Boilermakers’ coach wasn’t quite so positive when he spoke about the possibility of a Siller start against the Wolverines. “I think it would be very, very challenging,” Tiller admitted. “We’re not efficient enough and proficient enough offensively to expect a whole lot out of our offense with our No. 3 quarterback, who was a running back up until last week. “
Outside of who will get the nod this weekend, the other question looming over Justin Siller is where in the Purdue backfield he will ultimately settle in. He claims to not worry about that, saying that it’s all about “this season right now” and just “going with the flow.”
He also stated that while he’s “fully confident that, given the circumstances, I’ll be a quarterback [in the future]”, he hasn’t discussed his 2009 role in the program with Danny Hope, the man who will take over as Purdue head coach next year.
The crazy multi-position journey? “It’s been good,” Siller summarized. “When I got the opportunity to move to running back, I saw that as a helpful move. [The different perspective] helps me to know what we’re trying to get done in the running game. That just gives me another aspect of being a good quarterback…now when I get the passing game down, then I’ll be completely comfortable.”
Comfortable. There’s that word again. For Justin Siller, it doesn’t matter where he’s going to line up for Purdue this weekend: He plans to be comfortable, and that’s good news for Purdue fans who are looking for a reason to hope.