Expanded Role on Offense Becoming Easier for Purdue Wide Receiver TJ Sheffield
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue redshirt junior wide receiver TJ Sheffield said he only watched his highlight-reel spin move for a touchdown against Nebraska a couple of times before readying his focus for the team's upcoming game against Wisconsin.
Sheffield has been a quiet but steady factor for the Boilermakers' pass-heavy offense. He broke out in a 43-37 victory over Nebraska last week, recording a season-high 70 yards receiving to go along with two touchdowns on five catches.
Now a veteran pass-catcher for the program, Sheffield was tasked with shouldering an expanded mastery of the offensive scheme by learning multiple receiver positions. His growth and consistency have provided depth to a receiver room that's dealt with injuries at times during the 2022 college football season.
"I feel like it's becoming easier," Sheffield said. "It's been getting easier since I've been here for a little bit. I know a good amount of the playbook. So I'm trying to just be comfortable out there and just have fun, really."
Against the Cornhuskers, the team needed Sheffield to find his rhythm alongside star receiver Charlie Jones. He opened the game's scoring with a 2-yard touchdown to cap off a nine-play, 80-yard drive in the first quarter.
Quarterback Aidan O'Connell — who completed passes to nine different receivers — earned Co-Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors by throwing for 391 yards, four touchdowns and one interception for the Boilermakers.
Every inch was necessary to combat a dominant performance by Nebraska wide receiver Trey Palmer. He finished with 297 yards from scrimmage and a pair of scores.
After Purdue entered the locker room ahead by two touchdowns in the first half, it gave up 10 straight points to open the third quarter. Sheffield answered back with his second trip to the end zone in the game, hauling in a third-down pass and breaking free from two defenders before diving his way across the goal line for a 28-yard score.
"Aiden really had a perfect ball," Sheffield said. "He threw it before I even came out of my break. So I'm just trying to make plays for the team."
The score put the Boilermakers ahead 34-23 with 2:18 left to play in the third quarter, and they never trailed in the game despite continued scoring efforts by the Cornhuskers.
Sheffield, a native of Thompson's Station in Tennessee, has caught 22 passes on the season and is currently third on the team with 254 yards. He caught his first touchdown of the year in a 28-26 win over Florida Atlantic on Homecoming.
"A funny kid who everyone in the locker room loves, great attitude all the time and just loves his teammates," O'Connell said. "For him to learn two positions, it's hard. It's a hard playbook to understand just at one position. For him to do both and go back and forth and not know where he's going to be at any given rep is awesome."
Standing at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, Sheffield is a natural fit as a slot receiver in the Purdue offense. But he's had to play on the boundary in games with pass-catchers Mershawn Rice, Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen and Broc Thompson missing practice time this season due to injuries.
"Because of our depth, he's played quite a bit more outside and he does a good job," Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said after the win over Nebraska. "He runs good routes, he's got good hands. We gotta continue to utilize him, he made big catches for us. It's good for others to step up and come through."
As Jones continues to thrive as the No. 1 receiver for O'Connell and the Purdue passing offense, other players will need to emerge as the next man up. Could the second man be Sheffield? Quite possibly, but he is willing to do whatever is asked of him to contribute to a winning effort on game days.
"I'm just trying to do anything to help the team," Sheffield said. "It don't matter if I'm number one or the last, to be honest."
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