Next chapter in Purdue RB Devin Mockobee's storybook season: Big Ten title game
It’s roughly 180 miles from Devin Mockobee’s hometown of Boonville, Ind., to Indianapolis. But, it may as well be 1,000 miles.
It seems metaphorically that’s as far as the Purdue running back has come this season. It has been a breakout redshirt freshman season that has him poised to set the school’s single-season freshman rushing mark and maybe become the Boilermakers’ first 1,000-yard rusher since 2008.
Not bad for a player that was headed to Navy before Purdue (8-4 overall; 6-3 Big Ten) swooped in with an offer to walk-on in July 2021.
Mockobee will add to his storybook tale on Saturday when he plays in the Big Ten championship game at 8 p.m. ET in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis vs. Michigan (12-0; 9-0). Is this all difficult to believe?
“It’s kind of hard to put into words, especially me myself being someone who’s sort of new to all this and whatnot and have my first kind of role being coming up and we have an opportunity doing something that no one else at Purdue has been able to do,” said Mockobee. “I just feel like it’s really special. It will feel really real once we get there.”
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Mockobee has been to Lucas Oil Stadium once, attending a Colts game in the venue after his sophomore season at Boonville High.
“They actually won,” said Mockobee. “(Adam) Vinatieri hit a field goal to win the game.”
Now, Mockobee will run onto the Colts field to try to help Purdue win its first Big Ten championship since 2000.
“If you would have told me four years ago my freshman year of high school where I’m at now, I’d tell you you were lying.”
It’s the truth. It’s a fairy tale of sorts, too, for a player who was buried on the depth chart when the season started.
An injury in the first game of the season to No. 1 back King Doerue opened the door for Mockobee. After not playing in the opener vs. Penn State, Mockobee ran for 78 yards and a TD vs. Indiana State. He had 22 and a score at Syracuse and then 37 yards rushing vs. Florida Atlantic.
Mockobee had his big breakout in a 20-10 win at Minnesota, rushing for 112 yards and a TD. His 68-yard jaunt in the fourth quarter iced the game. Mockobee took over starting duties vs. Nebraska in the seventh game and hasn’t looked back. He has four 100-yard games and just missed a fifth last week when he finished with 99 at Indiana. Mockobee will need another big effort if Purdue hopes to upset the Wolverines.
“I think we got to find ways to get Devin the football, whether it’s handing it to him, throwing to him out of the backfield,” said co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brian Brohm. “He’s definitely a playmaker that needs the ball in his hands. When he has the ball in his hands, he’s a difference-maker. So, yeah, whatever way possible that we can get him the ball, we’re gonna try to do that.”
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The legend of Mockobee began to be authored in spring football. And there was chatter about an impressive effort in an August training camp scrimmage. Mockobee was too good not to play.
He’s listed at 6-0, 195. That’s generous. But, physical stature isn’t what makes Mockobee special. You have to watch him run. He can cut, accelerate, slip through cracks … and he dies hard. But Mockobee can do more than run, notching 18 receptions for 159 yards.
“I think he’s done a good job of catching the football,” said Brohm “He maybe has one or two drops on the year. But he’s done a good job of working on that, making sure that he’s able to catch the football. He is such a weapon in open space. So for him to have good hands, be able to catch the football, that takes his game to the next level. So, he’s done a good job so far.”
Mockobee leads Purdue with 849 yards rushing. With 26 more, he’ll set the school single-season freshman rushing mark set by Markell Jones in 2015 (875). Not bad for a guy who began the season fourth on the depth chart.
“Everyone’s counting us out, everyone’s saying Michigan is gonna pretty much have it in the bag, but I think that makes it best for us because no one’s gonna expect it,” said Mockobee. “We don’t have any pressure on us. So, we just go out and run free.”
