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football Offensive Coordinator John Shoop Defensive Coordinator Greg Hudson Spreading The Field BY KYLE CHARTERS KCharters@GoldandBlack.com Etling With Danny Shoop now taking snaps for Purdue, coordinator John says the Boilermakers' offense won't change schematically but it will accentuate the young quarterback's abilities. That will likely mean more passes down the field and outside the hashes, perhaps taking advantage of Purdue's young playmakers on the perimeter. That was on display in the second half of Purdue's loss to Northern Illinois on Sept. 28, when Etling threw for 241 yards and a couple of touchdowns. "The things Danny does a little bit better, (we'll) maybe go that route," Shoop said. "But we're not reinventing the offense. The offense is the same, for sure." But Etling's positives — a strong arm, good pocket presence — might help out other parts of Purdue's offense. If the defense sits back, knowing the Boilermakers can hit passes deep, then it might open up the rushing attack. And if Purdue can effectively rush, then perhaps the opponents can't blitz the QB as efficiently. "Danny has a big enough arm that you better defend the entire field, that's for sure," Shoop said. "If you can make a defense defend the entire field, hopefully it will open up some other things." But Purdue's offensive fixes aren't on Etling alone. The Boilermakers made another change, putting Jordan Roos at right guard, replacing Trevor Foy, to help stabilize the offensive line. And Dan Monteroso returns from injury; he'll likely play significantly at the wide receiver spot vacated by B.J. Knauf, who is suspended for two games. But along with personnel changes, Purdue must be better in the fundamentals, and they've spent the bye week working on those. "We've got to run block better. We've got to pass protect better," Shoop said. "We've got to run cleaner routes. We've got to hit the holes. Everything. There's not a sport that's more interdependent than (football); it's never just one guy. "But Danny brings a lot of energy to the position, he's really strong in the huddle and authoritative and sometimes guys can rally around that." Slowing The Huskers Purdue has faced a top-10 rushing attack before, and had little success, giving up 388 yards to Wisconsin in a 41-10 defeat at Madison. Now, the Boilermakers get another shot, when Nebraska, Tom Campbell John Shoop has high expectations for Danny Etling, and says Purdue's offense will play to his strengths. and its ninth-ranked rushing attack come to West Lafayette. How can Purdue be better? "No. 1, we've got to have our foxhole mentality and take care of our gaps. We better not squat," defensive coordinator Greg Hudson said. "You better cross the line of scrimmage and tackle. This is a physical league and we're going to have to play very physical and strain. We're going to have to play very well and be great tacklers." Wisconsin pounds with a more traditional pro-style offense, hitting holes between the tackles; Nebraska features an option attack that can get to the perimeter quickly. But the fundamentals are the same, Hudson says, with both programs having big offensive lines and great running backs. "They know where they're going," Hudson said. "They're big and strong. This type of football is why, by the time it's your second or third year, you've trained like a maniac in that weight room, and you're at every training table and you don't miss a meal and you do what you're supposed to do to get big and strong to play in this league. That's the neat thing about playing Nebraska and being in the Big Ten, it's such a developmental league. You've got to build and get ready to play with the big boys in this league." Defensive adjustments Purdue appears ready to make some defensive changes to help improve its outcomes. But coaches aren't willing to divulge what those are just yet. "(We have to adjust) our chin strap, make it tighter, run faster, take two more steps across the GoldanDBlack express • volume 24, express 6 • 20