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ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 24, ISSUE 6 17 f nothing can happen. We have to protect the quarter- back, and we have to create some lanes for the running game. It really starts up front. We know that, and we take pride in that. That's our mentality going into it: It's our job to get the offense going." Here's a closer look at the pieces, as Gold and Black breaks them down position by position: QUARTERBACKS For the second consecutive year under Hazell, Pur- due won't name its starting quarterback until training camp is underway. The announcement will come quicker in 2014, though, as Hazell expects to pick by the end of the first week of camp, about a week sooner than his 2013 deci- sion. Considering Etling, now a sophomore, was the choice to supplant senior Rob Henry as the starter in Week 6 last season and that Etling didn't have a turnover in the spring, he seems to have the edge heading into the fall. Not that Etling wants to talk about being the favorite. "I never really feel secure," he said. So Etling's focus in the offseason was intently on getting better. The list of areas in which to improve is long for the teenager who got thrown to the wolves and sacked more than any other quarterback in the Big Ten. He knows he can help prevent some of the beating by learning more, being able to spot hints in defensive line fronts, reading defenses and coverages, adjusting protections when a blitz is coming and getting rid of the ball quicker. "There are so many things that are so hard to learn and were so hard to learn last year, but this whole offseason just getting to sit down with Coach Shoop as much as I can and him explaining everything to me (has helped)," Etling said. "During the season, things are moving so fast and you're just trying to game plan, game plan, game plan and put in plays. In BY THE NUMBERS 12 Raheem Mostert's offensive touches in 2013, the least among the running backs (11 rushes, 1 reception). Four fewer than his season-ending totals in each 2011 and 2012. 12 Freshmen or redshirt freshmen who played at least one snap on offense last season. 14.9 Purdue's scoring average in 2013, the program's lowest since 1988 (11.3). 2.5 Yards per rush, the lowest single-season average in Purdue's modern era (since at least 1946). 445 Then-freshman receiver DeAngelo Yancey's unofficial snap total, nearly 200 more than the next wideout. — Stacy Clardie RUNNING BACKS COACH JAFAR WILLIAMS A fierce competitor, Jafar Williams has tried to breed the same environment in Purdue's running back room. He's having success, players say. "He doesn't care who plays," senior running back Akeem Hunt said. "If you don't get the job done, it's over. So everybody has a fair shot. If you don't take advantage, you don't take advantage." Williams, 34, showed that willingness to give players a chance in his first season as the Boilermakers' running backs coach, putting true freshman Dalyn Dawkins on the field in Week 1 only to eventually fall out of the rotation, giving junior Brandon Cottom the lead back role for a game, allowing Raheem Mostert to get more snaps in another, essentially trying-out Robert Gregory during practice another week. Ultimately, Hunt got the bulk of the snaps in the backfield, but Williams' expectations were high for everyone in the group. "You have to be on your toes with him," Mostert said. "You have to know your material. You have to understand what's going on or otherwise you're not going to be on the field. If he asks you a question in the meeting, you can't (hesitate), you have to know it." Williams also showcased his versatility in the spring, especially, when he cross-trained Hunt to prepare to play some slot. Williams was a receiver at Maryland and coached the position for three years until moving to coaching running backs until Kent State in 2011. — Stacy Clardie