Purdue Running Back Ja'Quez Cross Continuing to Adapt to Increased Playing Time
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Freshman Ja'Quez Cross called running backs coach Chris Barclay the night of Purdue football's 13-9 victory over Illinois. It was his first true outing as a college athlete.
He picked up blitzes, he didn't let the quarterback take a hit and he didn't put the ball on the ground. Cross may not have put up yards on the stat sheet, but he stepped up in a Big Ten matchup when running backs Zander Horvath and King Doerue were unable to suit up.
"I think he handled the workload okay," Barclay said of Cross. "I mean, obviously we'd like to have more production with the ball in his hands. But, you know, the encouraging thing was he didn't have any mental errors."
Cross, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound back from Hampton, Arkansas, was on the field for the Boilermakers' first offensive play of the game last Saturday. He only ran the ball seven times for 12 yards and couldn't get his hands on any passes.
As a team, Purdue rushed for just 38 yards. It's been tough to get anything going on the ground in the past few weeks, and that was to be expected in the absence of the team's top two backs.
Coaches and players have raved about Cross' speed and athleticism out of the backfield. He's shown quick feet and burst during practice, but he'll need to continue getting into the weight room and adding mass to his frame.
VIDEO: Purdue RB Dylan Downing on Himself, Ja'Quez Cross
Despite his size, he wasn't afraid and didn't hesitate to run straight into the teeth of the Illinois defense or use his entire body to stand up blitzing linebackers.
"I thought he did a good job of handling the workload," Barclay said. "I wanted to make sure I didn't put too much on him. I still want him to be confident in what he's doing because he's still learning a lot. I mean, there's so much happening all at once.
"I thought he handled it well. He did throw it up in there. I mean, is he the biggest guy on the block? No, he's got to figure out how to be successful with the ball in his hands in this league. And we've got to do a good job as coaches of scheming it up and figuring out ways to get him the ball in space, where he can have success early on until it gets a little stronger. But now, he's doing a good job and he has no fear. He'll throw it up in there, he'll mix it up."
Barclay knows that Cross is seeing the field sooner than anticipated, but he said it's his job to continue helping his players improve and instilling confidence that they can play on any given day.
Purdue football needs a spark in the run game, even a small one, and Cross is going to be part of that effort for the near future.
"He's just grateful, and he's a tremendous young man," Barclay said. "He's just gonna continue to work and get better. But the game was moving a little fast. It was his first time out there, that's normal. But I think he'll settle in here."
Stories Related to Purdue Football
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- JEFF BROHM PREVIEWS MATCHUP WITH MINNESOTA: Purdue football coach Jeff Brohm met with the local media Monday to discuss the team's upcoming matchup with Minnesota at home. Here is the full transcript of his press conference. CLICK HERE
- REPORT CARD: Purdue narrowly escaped its Big Ten opener with a 13-9 win over Illinois on Saturday at home. The offense struggled throughout the game, but the defense stepped up and kept the Fighting Illini out of the end zone. CLICK HERE
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.