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"He's going to be an impact player. I call him little Wes Welker. He's so quick and fast. He's got a little pit bull in him, too. He's going to be a good player for us, and we're going to really need B.J. this season." Receiver Gary Bush on B.J. Knauf specific personal goals in terms of catches or touchdowns — or rushing yards, for that matter. In John Shoop's offense, full of expectations for do-everything players, Knauf will be another who is required to be versatile. It's a role he's eager to fill. "I think I can be an all-around kind of option," he said. "They've got me running the ball a lot. They've got me doing everything from deep routes to short routes to intermediate routes. I kind of want to be just that reliable guy that if we need something to For daily headlines on happen, just kind of hand it to me and let me carry the ball." Knauf probably didn't literally mean carry the ball. But he feels comfortable with that, too. Tom Campbell Knauf played run- Knauf (right) and teammate Danny Anthrop, when healthy, are weapons in the slot for the Boilermakers. ning back in high "I can bench over 350 He missed his freshman year school, and he said he thinks he pounds," he responded. "I'm more with a stress fracture in his lower could do it for Purdue, too. of a hybrid and can offer a speed back and was forced to wear a He loves lifting weights and and strength mixture." bulky brace much of the year. has built up quite the physique, Strength will be key in Knauf's He rehabbed the injury, even glancing down at his biceps when ability to hold up throughout a knowing it may not heal. Even asked about his strength and duseason. when he was able to practice in rability considering his size. But it may not be all that matters. the spring, he never felt quite like himself, not fast enough, not agile enough, not productive. recruiting and other Purdue sports news, check out An offseason of more work and more rehab had him enter camp feeling the best he'd felt in a year. Then, last week, a bone scan revealed another fracture in his lower back. Knauf said the result wasn't surprising, that it was likely to happen again, and he's not overly concerned about the injury. He expects to have days in which he's sore. But Knauf even went as far as saying that he's "healthy." Playing with a broken back. That's healthy? "Oh my, yes," Knauf said, laughing. "Extremely. I just didn't feel like a football player (last year). With the rehab I've been doing and the treatment I've been getting from the staff, I've been getting top-notch help. Without that, I definitely wouldn't be playing football right now. "I can play, and I'm very happy and fortunate that I can do that." It's critical for Purdue that he continues to be able to do so, especially with fellow slot receiver Danny Anthrop out for several more weeks with a knee injury. "Everybody has a role within in our offense and (Knauf is) a big part of it because we need big plays," Sherman said. "We're not going to go out there and try to find them. We've got to go out there and be creative when our number is called. We've got to be able to step up and make a play." j GoldanDBlack express • volume 24, express 1 • 16