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26 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED The percentage of Purdue's 1,886 rushing yards returning by a running back, all from Keyante Green. Graduated seniors Akeem Hunt, Raheem Mostert and Brandon Cottom accounted for 1,481 yards (79 percent). Total career starts among offensive linemen on roster, including a team- high 31 consecutive by fifth-year senior Robert Kugler. The last time a Purdue quarterback threw for at least 2,000 yards in a season. Joey Elliott tossed for 3,026 as a 12-game starter as a senior. By The Numbers 11 91 2009 Photos by Tom Campbell helps you." Both Appleby and Blough are quick, when asked, to say they are ready to start Week 1 and are adamant about how badly they want that opportuni- ty. But they'd rather not speak to the competition itself. They have plenty of other things that consume them. Improving, namely. Appleby moved into the starting lineup last season in Week 6, replac- ing 12-game career starter Etling. In his first start, Appleby showed what he can bring: Poise, savvy, accuracy and leadership with an ability to galvanize a team. His first start was Purdue's only Big Ten victory of the season. But Purdue lost its final six games, and coaches didn't think Appleby was as con- sistently productive as he could have been — though there's probably a bit of an asterisk in the final three games without top receiving play- maker Anthrop. By the end of the season, Appleby completed 53 percent of his passes for 1,449 yards, 10 touchdowns and had 11 interceptions. "I think I played good," Appleby said in mid-June. "It's a process. It was definitely good to get in there and get handed the keys to the offense. It's been a long time coming. I worked extremely hard. I had the trust of my teammates but to get the trust of my coaches and have them put the pro- gram in my hands is something I've been working for ever since I got to this school, is the reason why I chose Tom Campbell What can fans expect to see from projected first-year starter D.J. Knox? "I'm going to be a linebacker on offense," the 200-pound sophomore running back said. Running backs Sophomores 4 Keith Byars II 5-10 204 23 Keyante Green 5-9 219 27 D.J. Knox* 5-7 197 28 David Yancey 5-10 213 Redshirt freshmen 45 Lane Beeler 5-10 219 Freshmen 25 Tario Fuller 6-0 186 8 Markell Jones 5-11 207 36 Richie Worship 6-1 242 * Projected starter