Running Back Dylan Downing Prepared to Help Purdue in the Backfield Alongside King Doerue
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Making the jump from being a transfer from UNLV to helping a Big Ten program win football games as a walk-on is no small feat.
Purdue's Dylan Downing was thrust into that position when starting running back Zander Horvath suffered an injury in the team's 49-0 victory against UConn last week.
Horvath will miss between four and eight weeks with a broken fibula, but Downing is ready for his opportunity to play alongside junior running back King Doerue and carry the load in the upcoming weeks.
"I feel like we're prepared because we come out here every day and we practice," Downing said. "This is why we practice. I feel like I'm just gonna go out there and do what the coaches need me to do and be productive when I can be productive and do everything I can do to help the team."
Downing said there was a big learning curve upon arriving on campus in January. Purdue coach Jeff Brohm has a hefty offensive playbook, but the transfer used spring practices as a cushion to learn as much as he could.
All that was left was to earn game action with the start of the 2021 college football season. Downing got his feet wet with a handful of plays in the team's season opener against Oregon State.
However, with Horvath going down against UConn, Downing carried the football 14 times for 72 yards while splitting time with Doerue. He also caught two passes for 19 yards.
"I feel like I really got acclimated a little bit last weekend at UConn," Downing said. "It's just nice to get situated a little bit."
Purdue will go on the road to face No. 12 Notre Dame this Saturday, its first real test of the season. Downing will look to serve as a complement to Doerue's set of skills against a defensive front that has allowed 198 yards per game on the ground.
Doerue led the team in rushing as a freshman with 451 yards and five touchdowns. He recorded 12 carries for 74 yards and a score against the Huskies last Saturday. Downing described himself and Doerue as being similar to thunder and lightning.
"I feel like he's faster and he's quick, and he can do all that," Downing said of Doerue. "I'm just kind of like straight-line power, just stuff like that. So I feel like that'll tire a defense out pretty well."
With Downing and Doerue on the field, the Boilermakers won't have to adjust their run schemes in the slightest. Every call in the playbook will be an option against the Fighting Irish on Saturday.
"We feel confident in what those kids can do," Purdue running back coach Chris Barclay said. "They've all been in practice, and they're able to do the same plays that Zander was able to do. It's just a matter of them playing their style of play. They can execute the same scheme but put their own flavor on it. Those kids, they've done a good job to this point. We're excited about where they're headed."
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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.