Missing in action
According to Michael Rothstein, Dan Wenger, Matt Romine, Justin Brown, and Harrison Smith all didn’t make the trip to West Lafayette for the game today. John Ryan started in Brown’s place and played very well, with six solo tackles (two for a loss, including one sack), but at least according to the box score it doesn’t look like Derrell Hand, last week’s starter in place of Ryan, played at all.
We all knew that Wenger was going to be out at least until the UCLA game. Meanwhile, Brown was supposed to be a “game-time decision,” and Romine was reportedly wearing a big cast and brace in practice this week.
But it’s unclear why Smith - who had been playing on special teams, from what I recall [see update below] - didn’t make the trip, and especially puzzling that Hand seems to have sat the game out. Anybody have any idea what happened?
[UPDATE: I was wrong about Smith playing on special teams. I just now managed to track down the season-long game participation statistics, and he hadn't seen the field in the first four games either. It still seems funny, though, that he didn't dress - Rothstein thought so as well.
One more note, though: according to that same game log, it doesn't look like Ray Herring, who had played in each of the first four games, saw the field today either. Not nearly as puzzling as the Hand situation, to be sure, but still worth remarking on.]
Tags: Dan Wenger, Derrell Hand, Harrison Smith, John Ryan, Justin Brown, Matt Romine, Purdue, Ray Herring, UCLA