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GOLD & BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 25, ISSUE 4 46 BY STACY CLARDIE SClardie@GoldandBlack.com R yan Russell remembers Danny Anthrop having doubts. After becoming fast friends in An- throp's freshman year at Purdue, the local kid shared with the defensive end from Texas concerns that he might be too small and questioned whether he could play at the Big Ten level. Russell didn't want to hear it and responded with praise and encour- agement. When he started to see Anthrop blossoming in practices and seizing opportunities as a true freshman on special teams, Russell worked on boosting Anthrop's confi- dence, reinforcing his potential. He had to do that for a couple years. Then, finally, Anthrop started be- lieving. "When he got here, he was taken back by the opportunity — and it was a great opportunity — but along the years and along him playing and becoming more comfortable, you've just seen his confidence take him to a whole 'nother level," said Rus- sell, who graduated from Purdue in December. "He went from that guy telling me, 'I'm not sure if I can play, maybe I'll redshirt' to a third down in the Minnesota game, he's telling Austin (Appleby), 'Hey, give me the ball, they can't cover me.' "You always want someone like that. That transition, taking him from doubting certain things and lit- tle things that you do to really own- ing up to them and putting your own style and spin and touch on every- thing, that takes average players to great players." Anthrop certainly has developed into one of Purdue's most produc- tive. Buoyed by a sophomore season fi- nale performance of five catches for 151 yards and a touchdown against Indiana, Anthrop broke out in 2014 with 38 catches for team highs of 616 yards and four TDs last season. That's why it was such a big deal when he got hurt. That's why Anthrop was devastat- ed when learning the severity of the injury to his right knee: Not only a torn anterior cruciate ligament but also a torn lateral meniscus, carti- lage damage and bone bruises. Pivotal Piece Anthrop works on return to field Tom Campbell