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miserable against other weaker foes. Although rushing defense is a team endeavor, the effort starts on the line, and Purdue wasn't good, allowing 182 yards per game, No. 9 in the Big Ten. Pass rush, measured in sacks, wasn't much better, Linebackers Coach Marcus Freeman Marcus Freeman might be one of the most engaging personalities not only on this new Boilermaker staff but on any in recent memory. The young linebackers coach — he played at Ohio State from 2004-08 — is engaging and easily relates to his players. But he also demands perfection, or at work toward it, seeming to strike a good balance between the two traits. "We've only been together a (few months), but I love the way he coaches," junior linebacker Sean Robinson says. "He coaches because he loves to coach, he loves to see people get better, which believe it or not some college coaches just coach to coach. I don't see the passion that Coach Freeman has in coaches that I've had in the past. "If somebody makes a good play, he's the first one out there to congratulate you and high five you and (tell you) good job. If you do something wrong, he's the first one to get on your tail and tell you what you did wrong, and everyone else is going to hear what you did wrong, too. I really like that style of coaching. He's enthusiastic, positive and fun to be with out there." Before Purdue, Freeman was part of Darrell Hazell's staff at Kent State, helping two starters earn All-MAC honors in back-to-back seasons. In 2010, he was a graduate assistant at his alma mater when the Buckeyes had a 12-1 record and won the Suger Bowl. A Huber Heights, Ohio, native, Freeman earned second-team All-Big Ten honors as a senior at OSU, which he helped lead to three BCS bowl games, including two national championship appearances, during his career. In 2009, he was a fifth-round NFL Draft choice, but a medical condition ended his professional career. But it hasn't derailed his football career. Freeman, 27, is likely a rising star in the college coaching ranks and could be dynamo in recruiting. — Kyle Charters 38 • Gold and Black IllustrateD • volume 23, issue 6 Tom Campbell Linebacker Joe Gilliam has taken well to the new coaching staff, and it showed during the spring, when he was more instinctual from his middle linebacker position. with the Boilers finishing in a tie for eighth in the league with 22. Penn State led the league with 34. "We would love, love, love to have 25 to 30 sacks; we would love that," Hudson said. "Now if we had 20 sacks, but we said we affected the quarterback 40 other times, that's pretty good." Purdue's efficiency might hinge on its defensive ends, particularly Russell. Now a junior, the 6-foot-5, 275-pounder could be on the verge of a breakout season, but that was the theme for him as an underclassman, too. Last year, the Texas native had 37 tackles, including four sacks, second to Short's team-high seven. Those are fine numbers, but not the type that are going to have him included with other ends before him, like Anthony Spencer or Kerrigan in more recent years. GBIprint.com GoldandBlack.com