GBI Magazine

Gold and Black Illustrated, July-August 2014

Gold and Black is a multi-platform media company that covers Purdue athletics like no one else.

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12 ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 24, ISSUE 6 f Gold and Black: How will you define success in 2014? Hazell: "Obviously the way most people will and that's — you hate to paint yourself into a corner but ev- eryone else paints you in there, right? — so you better win some football games." Gold and Black: After kind of pleading with guys after the season to start really learning the game and increasing their football IQ, it seemed evident in the spring more guys were getting it. Have you noticed since the season that they are getting the why and the how and understanding concepts and why will it matter in 2014? Hazell: "Yes, they are better. Yes, they are up here (in the office). We have film study rooms that are being utilized quite a bit. They're helping each other. You walk by and they're teaching each other. Why does it matter? Because when you come into camp, you don't want to start over again. You want to start in Practice 5 or Prac- tice 6. They have the ability to get the entire installation throughout the summer and, all of a sudden, the first time they hear from a coach, they've heard it a million times from each other." Gold and Black: This schedule, at least in the non-conference and then in the first two Big Ten games, would seem to be more in-line with your talent level than what you were up against last year. How crucial is it you perform well from the start this year just to gain some momentum? Hazell: "I think it's very important for our football team to gain some momentum early. Every football game is hard to win, but if we can get off to a good start, their confidence — because they're talented but you're still probably a little bit fragile — but if we can get off to a good start (snaps, snaps, snaps) and get rolling, it could be pretty special." Gold and Black: What do you think this team will do well? Hazell: "I think they'll play hard, I really do. I think the other thing is they'll play with each other." Gold and Black: What are you biggest concerns heading into the season? Hazell: "Always, you've got to stay healthy. You have to figure out some of those spots that you have a little concern about. I think we have some answers, but you don't know until you actually get into it. You have to fig- ure out those couple spots, who's going to step up that's in house and who's going to come in and help us out right away." Gold and Black: You have some key guys, espe- cially seniors, who have been all about potential but not really delivered on that just yet. What are some different ways you motivate guys and how does it help now that you know them bet- ter? Hazell: "I think the difference now, a year later, is you try to moti- vate the masses the first year, where the second year when you know people better, you can start pulling guys aside and getting into a sin- gle guy's ear and say- ing, 'This is what you're about. This is what you need to do.' That's prob- ably the biggest differ- ence from Year 1 to Year 2, being able to whisper in somebody's ear and say, 'Get after that tack- le. He can't kick-slide.' Just those little things that can help him get an edge." www.MeetYouAtArnis.com LAFAYETTE • INDIANAPOLIS • GREENWOOD Visit one of our 18 Indiana locations Meet You At Arni's TM Celebrates Purdue's Student-Athletes SERVING BOILER FANS FOR 50 YEARS World Famous Pizza, Salads, Sandwiches Danny Etling Sophomore, Organization Leadership and Supervision Etling a quarterback, was one of 47 players on the Boil- ermaker football team to make coach Darrell Hazell's "A-Players" list for the spring. Players can qualify for the list, which was originated from Hazell's decree of "A Play- ers Must Get A's" by getting a 3.0 average or better for the semester. The Boilermakers had 40 players make the list in the fall. The team posted a 2.78 GPA for the spring, up from a 2.65 in the fall, and improved its cumulative GPA to 2.77, up from 2.75 prior to the spring semester.

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