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IllustrateD volume 24, issue 5 11 f systems, not enough dedicating time outside of the re- quired hours, not enough truly understanding what was expected of them, Hazell stressed those simple yet prac- tically important areas. And, ultimately, he saw his players embrace those things. Ultimately, he saw that produce fruit. "Learning the game, you can't overemphasize that enough, being able to understand and anticipate things that are going to happen that allow you to play that much faster," Hazell said. He raved about how drastically the team's "MAs" (missed assignments) dropped. In a typical period last spring, Hazell's staff's first, there would be so many mistakes that progress was dif- ficult to measure. In one period, the group could have double-digit miscues. This spring, it could go an entire practice with less than that. "You watch our execution just go from here to here," Hazell said, raising his hand from his chest to above his head, "just because you don't make mental mistakes. To a position (group), I thought they did a good job. We chart every single rep. They've done a good job in terms of learning it." For the offense, a better grasp of the schemes and their purpose meant an ability to play up- tempo, using some no-huddle without hardly any hitches. Players knew where to line up, did it and then executed plays with typically high levels of success. Though drops from receivers were too plentiful in the scrimmages — into the dou- ble-digits — there were also several highlight-reel grabs in practice. Running backs showed some better vision, and certain offensive linemen revealed an ability to exe- cute Jim Bridge's techniques to a higher degree. Ultimately all of that meant hardly any turnovers. There were only a handful of fumbled snaps and just a few more interceptions. "When you know your assignment and it's just in- grained in you, it's just your muscle memory, you can play a little bit faster," offensive coordinator John Shoop said. "You're not as cautious. I think our guys are aggres- sive, playing faster and it served us well this spring." Coordinator Greg Hudson saw fewer misalignments and incorrect calls on defense, too. "I think it comes from, I wouldn't say simplifying it, but keeping it like we did and them being able to finally hear a system for the second time," Hudson said. "No- body on that defense has done that. It's so easy to say, 'Well, yeah, they got to hear it again.' That doesn't sound like much unless you've haven't done it for four years. So that was a big deal." On the mend Purdue was without some expected key contributors in the spring and suffered one significant injury over the 15 practices, too. Here are some notables who missed parts or all of spring ball: Pos. Name Injury B.J. Knauf Receiver Sports hernia Cameron Posey Receiver Knee Dolapo Macarthy Tight end Shoulder Carlos Carvajal Tight end Knee Jason King Guard Back Anthony Brown Corner Quad strain Austin Logan Safety Ankle