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GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 27 • 9 touchdown. A flag that was thrown on the play for an ineligible lineman downfield was picked up, allowing the TD to stand, giving Black a lead it didn't relinquish. "Trae Hart did a great job sepa- rating," said Appleby, who complet- ed 10-of-18 passes for 147 yards, a TD and an interception. "He caught my eyes, and I just threw it as far as I could and he made a great catch for us. It was a great play by Trae. "We've got to be able to make those plays on third down. That's going to be the deciding factor as we get into September." Etling's came next, though his smooth footwork at the end of the third quarter didn't earn him a touchdown like the other two QBs. On second-and-16 from the 25, the Black team blitzed. The Gold did a decent job of picking it up, but Etling still had to step up in the pocket to create space. Then he ri - fled a dart toward the right sideline, somehow getting it to tight end Cole Herdman with two defenders in the vicinity for a 22-yard gain. Playing for both teams, Etling finished 11-of-16 for 148 yards and also had an interception and lost a fumble on a exchange with David Yancey. "I think they've made signifi- cant progress," Hazell said of the QBs before the game. "They seem to be a lot calmer right now than they were in the past. We're still not mak- ing all the throws we need to make, but I feel comfortable with all three of those guys right now as to their progress." It'd certainly help the QBs if they can get consistent production from the run game, which included D.J. Knox on Saturday. Knox missed the spring's big- gest practice — the jersey scrim- mage — a week earlier while recov- ering from concussion symptoms. So even though he'd already risen to No. 1 on the depth chart from his production and limited missed as- signments early in the spring, Knox knew how important the spring game was. "It was crucial — either put up or shut up," Knox said. "This was my last opportunity to show the work that I've been putting in since the beginning of the spring. This was my last chance to show everybody what I could do, and I felt like I did a pretty good job of it." The sophomore definitely was electric at times. He averaged only 3.2 yards on 13 carries, but he scored two touch - Tom Campbell Ja'Whaun Bentley returns an interception. It was one of four turnovers by the Black and Gold defenses, which got three interceptions and recovered a fumble, with five sacks. LEADING THE WAY Here are the top performers from Purdue's spring game, which the Black team won 28-23 over the Gold. BLACK TEAM Leading rusher: D.J. Knox, 13 carries, 44 yards, two TDs Leading receiver: Bilal Marshall, five catches, 81 yards Leading passer: Austin Appleby, 10-of-18, 147 yards, one TD, one INT Leading tackler: Antoine Miles and Andy James Garcia, eight GOLD TEAM Leading rusher: Keyante Green, 14 carries, 63 yards, TD Leading receiver: DeAngelo Yancey, six catches, 58 yards, TD Leading passer: David Blough, 16-of-22, 173 yards, two TDs, one INT Leading tackler: Race Johnson, six Tom Campbell Though D.J. Knox had earned the No. 1 running back spot with his performance the first several weeks of practice, a head injury kept him out of the jersey scrimmage. That made his effort in the spring game even more important. He delivered, scoring two touchdowns.