Colorado University Athletics
TB PURIFY?S ANKLE SLOWLY COMING ALONG
BOULDER ? University of Colorado tailback Bobby Purify, who has missed the last five weeks with a severe ankle sprain, did some light work in practice Monday evening, however, the senior was still unable to participate in full drills with his teammates.
“He didn’t practice, but he worked out and did some things,” head coach Gary Barnett said of Purify after the session. “I talked to (head athletic trainer) Steve (Willard) and he said he looked pretty good. We’ll see how he is tomorrow.”
After sustaining the injury late in CU’s third game against Washington State, Purify has worked hard over the last four games to get back onto the playing field. Though it was originally predicted that the Colorado Springs, Colo. native (Palmer) would return to action last week against Kansas State, Purify’s comeback has advanced slower than expected.
While his ankle has healed to full strength, Purify said Monday afternoon the setback has come due to his Achilles tendon. Noting specifically that the tendon was weakened while he wore a cast for three weeks, Purify said he has had no problem maneuvering from side to side. The toughest thing, he noted, was running at full speed forward and pushing off to accelerate.
When asked if he would play in Saturday’s home game versus Oklahoma (5:00 p.m., Fox Sports Net), Purify responded: “Hopefully, I can get strong enough to come back and help the team.”
Should he be unable to battle against the Sooners, Barnett said Purify would look into sitting out the remainder of the year and applying for a medical redshirt. Last Monday, Purify revealed that he was open to the idea, however, he wanted to wait and see if the injury “goes on for a few more weeks; then we’ll start thinking about (the redshirt)."
Purify’s status for Tuesday’s practice remains up in the air. Commented Barnett on the situation: “I don’t know what to tell you on that. It all depends on how much he swells up tonight.”
However, Barnett confirmed that this week would most likely be the last chance for Purify to play, before a redshirt year is petitioned for.