Gold and Black is a multi-platform media company that covers Purdue athletics like no one else.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/470008
GOLD & BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 25, ISSUE 4 30 RICHIE WORSHIP Nobody puts a face on Pur- due's desire to get more physi- cal in the back- field than Wor- ship, a 6-1, 235-plus-pound running back. For the Northeast Ohio ball-carri- er, his atypical size has come with its challenges, specifically the need for him to keep proving himself at his position with a physique that might have "fullback" or "linebacker" writ- ten all over it. "I always have something to prove," Worship said, "always some- thing I have to work on to show peo- ple I can be a running back." But size comes with its advantag- es, too, obviously. The Rivals.com three-star back used those advantages to run for 1,738 yards and 27 touchdowns this season, despite missing two full games after he thought he broke a vertebra in his back. It was "just" a bruise. As a senior at Valley Forge High School in Parma Heights, Ohio, Wor- ship ran both past and over people. Purdue wants both, but more the latter. "They definitely say they want me to be that power back just to grind out yards, so where if the linemen block for three yards, I'll be able to get five," Worship said. "They want me to be that anchor, to keep my feet moving and keep running through defenses." One of Purdue's earliest com- mitments — but actually its fourth running back pledge at the time — Worship also held early offers from Cincinnati and several MAC schools. Michigan State and Min- nesota were also recruiting him prior to his June decision. "He's a unique back who has the size of a fullback, but enough wig- gle to be an effective ball-carrier," Helmholdt said. "It will be interest- ing to see if Purdue uses him pri- marily as a blocking back or wheth- er he can be a Ron Dayne-like big back who softens up defenses by consistently pounding the football between the tackles." DOMONIQUE YOUNG Purdue has to figure out ways to stretch the field vertically this season af- ter that element of the passing game was a glaring defi- ciency in 2014. As with Mahoungou, the Boiler- maker coaching staff took Young with that in mind. As a sophomore at Cerritos College in California, the 6-3, 205-pounder caught 53 passes for 939 yards and nine touchdowns in 10 games. "My size makes it hard for defend- ers to make plays on me," the Los Angeles native said, "because I try to use it to my advantage. It gives me a good chance to put muscle on and make more physical plays. "I'm also faster than people give me credit for. I'm a big guy and most people don't expect me to be as fast as I am. It catches people by surprise, the combination of being tall and fast and also running good routes really helps me." Between Mahoungou and Young, the Boilermakers have added in bulk elements they almost entirely lacked last season: Size, strength and in some cases urgency. Young will have two years of eligi- bility at Purdue, time he intends to make the most of. "Everything the team needs me to do I am wiling to do, because I only have so much time before my eligi- bility is up," said Young, who picked Purdue over a San Jose State offer and Houston and Indiana interest. "Whether that be on the field or at practice, I am just willing to help the team the best that I can." For more on Young, see Page 32. j Daryl Peterson Domonique Young thinks he can deliv- er on what Purdue is looking for in an outside receiver.