A game wasn’t the only thing Purdue lost in Week 1.
Early in the second quarter of what turned into a 35-28 loss to No. 16 Louisville, Markell Jones was injured on a kickoff return that, to add insult to literal injury, ended with a lost fumble. As a result of the knee injury, Jeff Brohm confirmed Monday that the running back will miss a “couple of weeks or more” of game action.
“He’s had a good fall camp and he’s really been into it, so it’s unfortunate that this has knocked him out a little bit,” the head coach said according to the West Lafayette Journal & Courier.
Purdue faces Ohio this Friday, then travels to Missouri in Week 3. They will open Big Ten play Sept. 23 in West Lafayette against Michigan.
Last season, Jones’ 616 yards and four rushing touchdowns led the Boilermakers. He was also fifth on the team with 32 receptions. Prior to his injury over the weekend, Jones didn’t record a carry or catch a pass.
Tario Fuller led the team in rushing Saturday with 29 yards. As a team, the Boilermakers ran for just 51 yards on 21 carries against the Cardinals’ defense.