Tom Campbell
Of all the areas on Purdue's defense, Hudson felt the most confident about the line, which came out of camp with a solid two
deep.Here's the projected 1s: (left to right) Greg Latta, Ryan Watson, Bruce Gaston and Ryan Russell.
speed on the outside — how do you evaluate
that second group?
Hudson: "When they go in, they're a 1 and they
have to perform at that level. As coaches, we can protect them a little bit, maybe, with calls. But when you
cross that white line on Saturday, there's a standard
you've got to play at. It's good we've got eight guys
who are trying to get to that level."
Gold and Black: Do you anticipate playing a
lot of guys?
Hudson: "We'll play as many guys that can do the
job. It's not a participation sport, you know? It's a productivity sport. That position up front is pretty crazy.
But it helps when you have numbers there because
if you're out there too long and fatigue sets in, the
thing is, you know when the ball is snapped, you're
going to get hit and you're going to get hit first. In
this league, you know you're going to get blocked. So
we've got to be smart as coaches and roll them when
we can but also roll them for success."
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IllustrateD volume 24, issue 1
Gold and Black: What are some areas you
think you still have a lot of work to do before
the opener?
Hudson: "I think one of the areas we really have
to get better at is the aggressiveness and the overall play at the linebacker position. They're trying
so hard. They really are. They want to please their
coach. They've got to turn it loose, and we've been in
this playbook mentality of installing. I call it playbook
football. Camp, you've got the whole book in. Well,
for the game, you probably have 50 percent or less.
We've got to get them to the playground mentality.
How did you play in the seventh grade at Lafayette
Central Catholic at lunch time, running around?"
Gold and Black: Players have talked about
Marcus Freeman calling that not being a robot.
Same kind of thing, just wanting them to play on
their instincts.
Hudson: "That's what you did at the park."
Gold and Black: How's it been going being the
f
