Nathan BairdIndianapolis Star
WEST LAFAYETTE – Devin Mockobee’s breakthrough from walk-on to featured back in 2022 brought him within reach of a major Purdue football rarity.
The entire offense went flat in a 63-7 Citrus Bowl loss to LSU, leaving Mockobee a mere 32 yards short of 1,000. Kory Sheets’ status as the last 1,000-yard Boilermaker lived on.
“It would definitely be special,” Mockobee said. “I'm never one that's chasing accolades, because the main thing is the main thing, but it would definitely be cool.”
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As many Purdue fans know, Sheets’ 1,131 yards in 2008 mark the last time a Purdue back topped 1,000. It’s the longest drought in the Big Ten and — not counting a handful of programs which transitioned in the past couple of years — tied with Akron for the second-longest drought in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Only Washington State saves the Boilermakers and Zips from topping the list. Jerome Harrison rushed for 1,900 yards for the Cougars in 2005. A few years later, coach Mike Leach arrived and led the nation in pass attempts for eight straight seasons.
Jeff Brohm nearly created an equally convenient excuse, putting the ball in quarterback Aidan O’Connell’s hands at the expense of attempting the fewest runs of any Big Ten team from 2009-21.
Ralph Bolden rushed for 935 yards in 2009. Akeem Hunt reached 949 in 2014. Mockobee fell one long run short of the mark in 2022. The drought is arguably more a statistical anomaly than an indicator of overall rushing success.
The Boilermakers, though, never want to trail the rest of the Big Ten in anything. A 1,000-yard rusher brings recognition to the running back — not only the back next to the number, but to the offensive line which helped lead him there. For those reasons and more, they are ready for the drought to end.
“There's certain things from a rushing standpoint and from an offensive line standpoint we know, like, hey — let's get a couple of these guys there,” senior offensive lineman Gus Hartwig said.
Last season, 44 teams featured at least one 1,000-yard rusher. While Purdue was not one of them, it loved the sound of 1,527: Mockobee and Tyrone Tracy Jr.’s combined rushing total. A backfield featuring skill, versatility and depth became a strength.
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The offense also averaged 4.39 yards per carry. That ranked fifth among Big Ten teams and represented a huge jump from the team-wide performances in 2022 (3.64) and 2021 (2.79). The latter was the lowest average the Big Ten had seen since Purdue’s 2.52 in 2012.
Tracy led the Big Ten with 6.34 yards per carry. He and Mockobee made the Boilermakers the only team in the conference with two backs posting 20 or more runs of 10-plus yards.
Purdue has made exactly the rushing progress needed to keep defenses honest and give quarterback Hudson Card a fair chance. It beckoned Reggie Love III to cross state lines after he led Illinois in rushing in only eight games last season. Between veteran backup Addai Lewellen, redshirt freshman Elijah Jackson and true freshman Jaheim Merriweather, the search is on for the back to complete the committee.
“I hope we can find a third,” Walters said. “Especially in this conference, you need three to get you through the season at a high level.”
Mockobee prepared himself to go the distance this season. After playing at 195 pounds last season, he showed up for preseason camp at 207. Adding bulk while maintaining speed was a testament to “eating clean,” he said.
“Coming in being a running back in the Big Ten at 190-195, I’m kind of at a disadvantage, obviously,” Mockobee said. “Getting that weight on, getting some strength behind me with my speed I think was very beneficial for me. So I’m in a really good spot right now.”
Love came back from mid-season injury to top 100 yards in two of Illinois’ last three games. He also did not fumble once last season, while Mockobee put the ball on the ground nine times (losing three). Like with Mockobee and Tracy last season, the combo approach provides drive-to-drive depth to maximize performance as well as starter-quality insurance should one of the backs miss time.
“Reggie is a really good hard-nosed shifty guy,” Mockobee said. “I think he's gonna be really good for us, sharing some snaps and getting the ball downhill for the 1-2 attack. You’ll see glimpses of the same thing we saw last year.”
Hartwig would love to close his Boilermaker career by helping one or both of those backs crack four digits. He wants to win even more, though.
A better chance to end that streak is a peripheral motivation for trying to reach a 13th game via bowl eligibility.
“If Devin would have had a couple more carries early in the season, maybe would have got there (in 2022),” Hartwig said. “But you want to get to that mark, because it's been almost 15-20 years now, right? It’s getting to that point where it would just be cool.
"As a group, as an O-line it’s kind of the mentality like ‘let's go get this done,’ ” Hartwig said. “Let's go run the ball. Let's set the tone.”
Follow IndyStar Purdue Insider Nathan Baird on X at @nwbaird.
