Foster Farms Bowl Prep: Arizona vs. Purdue

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Journal & Courier Purdue insiders Nathan Baird and Mike Carmin and host Clayton Duffy on Jeff Brohm's signing day haul. Nathan Baird/Journal & Courier

SAN FRANCISO – Welcome to Foster Farms Bowl Prep. 

One-stop shopping for tidbits and other information prior to the Dec. 27 matchup at Levi's Stadium.  

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VEGAS LINE: Arizona was favored by 3.5 points but the line has dropped to 3 on Christmas Eve. 

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The Boilermakers will hold their first practice in the Bay Area on Sunday. The practice is closed to the media but players will be available for interviews at the team hotel later. Interviews are scheduled to start around 7 p.m. ET.  

The players and coaches are headed to Alcatraz before practice.  

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Read about Purdue receiver Anthony Mahoungou's journey from France to Purdue. 

The bowl game is a homecoming for co-defensive coordinator Nick Holt. 

Five Arizona players to watch. Sure there's more but here's the short list.  

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The Boilermakers are in the Bay Area

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Rumblings of possible new uniforms or combination for the bowl game. Purdue did practice in its chrome helmets Thursday. 

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Thought we would learn about any academic casualties Thursday but Jeff Brohm said he wasn't talking to the local media. Brohm said Wednesday at the end of his signing day pressure conference he would have more information the next day. 

The next day came and went. The Boilermakers will likely lose one player to grades. 

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The last time Brycen Hopkins was on the field, the Purdue tight end recovered an onside kick at Iowa.

The sophomore is expected to play Wednesday when the Boilermakers take on Arizona in Foster Farms Bowl at Levi’s Stadium following a back injury.

Hopkins suffered a stress fracture in his back jumping on the onside kick, which secured the win against the Hawkeyes.

“Someone came up and kneed me in the back because I came down with the ball and another guy pulled me and twisted my back,” Hopkins said.

The Tennessee native didn’t practice the next week leading up to the victory against Indiana. He was in too much pain and there a lot of risk putting Hopkins back on the field.

“I couldn’t play. I probably would’ve broken it if I tried,” Hopkins said.

The 6-foot-5 Hopkins underwent treatments – no ice and plenty of heat and running under water. He avoided staying in one position for an extended period of time. Even getting dressed took time.

“If you laid down or sat down too long, you had to get up slowly and ease yourself back into movement,” Hopkins said. “I had to take everything slow.”

He ranks third on the team with 324 receiving yards along with three touchdowns. Fourteen of his 23 receptions have resulted in first downs.

Hopkins has eased his way back into practice and is prepared to play against the Wildcats.

“I’m feeling pretty good,” he said. “I’m just getting back into things. A little bit of contact here and there. They don’t want to rush me into anything and ended up hurting myself before the game.”

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Linebacker T.J. McCollum isn’t the only senior playing his final game this week, but he’ll cap an interesting journey.

He played one season at Alabama-Birmingham before the program was disbanded. McCollum transferred to Western Kentucky where he played two seasons for Jeff Brohm and defensive coordinator Nick Holt. He followed Brohm and Holt to Purdue as a graduate transfer.

“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” he said. “I’ve been places, met new people, new coaches and it’s been a great experience.”

McCollum battled injuries this season. He played in nine of Purdue’s 12 games, making eight starts. McCollum was on pace to lead the defense in tackles before suffering a high ankle sprain on the last play against Minnesota.

“I’m not going to say it’s been great, wouldn’t say good but it’s was OK dealing with a lot of injuries,” said McCollum, who finished fourth on the team with 61 tackles. “Now that I’m back I want to finish strong.”

The move to Purdue was two-fold. It was another opportunity to play for Brohm and Holt but also showcase his talents against better competition as McCollum looks to extend his career in the NFL.

“Coming in here and being under coach Brohm again and coach Holt – great coaches,” McCollum said. “Being able to play at a bigger level in the Big Ten with better competition was a good move on my part to show that I can compete with those guys. I feel like I showed that. It’s just been good.”

McCollum has accepted an invitation to participate in the seventh annual NFLPA Collegiate Bowl on Jan. 20 in Pasadena, California.

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Is the XFL coming back? Count Jeff Brohm in.

“Very tempting,” Brohm said earlier this month after a report surfaced Vince McMahon was considering bringing back the league.

Brohm played quarterback for the Orlando Rage in 2001. He was knocked out of a game but came back the next week, using the phrase – ‘Let’s play football’ – which has followed him the last 16 years.

LET'S PLAY FOOTBALL: Jeff Brohm's XFL mic drop moment follows him to Purdue

Basically, the XFL had no rules. Physical and violent play was tolerated and often encouraged. The league was about showmanship and Brohm played along.

“I thought it was one those Internet sites that somebody puts something that is completely false and gets you going,” Brohm said. “The more I read it, it looks like it may happen.”

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Playing in a bowl helps expose the program in recruiting but is playing in California a benefit to Brohm and the Boilermakers?

Brohm plans to emphasize a three-to-four hour radius from Purdue’s campus in recruiting but will use the connections of his coaching staff to find the best players.

“We’ve gotten in the area some and it’s not like we’re going to spend a ton of time out there but we have certain connections we’re going to check in on every year and make sure we fully scout that out,” Brohm said. “We have some guys on our team from that area.

“We’ll continue to keep our eyes and ears open and we understand how it works. Most of our guys won’t come from that far but probably a handful every now and then will.”

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These comments from D.J. Knox didn't make my story on Markell Jones earlier this month, but he praised the 217-yard performance against Indiana. 

"Just the grit. Take carry after carry after carry. That’s hard to do and a lot of people can’t do that. That makes him a special player. To be able to take 31 carries and 200 yards, I was looking at his stats … that’s nasty. That was my first impression – what?" Knox said. "I came out of the locker room after the (thumb) injury and he had 160 (yards). I said, 'what happened?'

"I’m glad he could do that and he took us to a bowl game. I love it. No matter who’s in the room, they always step up. That’s the one thing I’m proud about the room that we have. A year ago, they were talking about how the room needed to do a little better or we needed more performance from the room. This year, everybody has a chip on their shoulder in the room."