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36 ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 24, ISSUE 6 f he's running a toss sweep. That's the run game. In the pass game, which is a little bit more sophisticated, complex, it comes down to — and you get help from the center a lot of times — who are my two assignments on the check-outs? That's very important." But Mostert's emergence hasn't just been about a great- er comfort level within the offense. His confidence is off- the-charts after a superb track season in which he won four Big Ten titles — he was named Purdue's Male Ath- lete-of-the-Year — and that's showing up by better utiliz- ing his skill sets on the field, Hazell said. Mostert's been fast since he stepped onto campus, but Hazell insists Mostert hasn't always used the speed effi- ciently. It's not enough just to be fast with an ability to break away from defenders after reaching the second level. It needs to be done from the snap. "When he played in space last year, he did not play fast when he was out at wide receiver. That's one thing I kept saying," Hazell said. "He'd look at me with his head tilted like, 'What are you talking about, Coach?' (I'd say) 'You've got to play fast. You've got to come off the ball. You've got to put pressure on those DBs.' It looked like he was just in cruise mode. "In the springtime this year, you'd toss him a pitch or hand him a zone, and he puts his foot in the ground, he looked fast. He really looked fast. So I think it's a level of comfort of what you're doing that allows you to play fast." Perhaps, though, why Mostert is so intriguing is he's more than speed. As he'd done occasionally in previous seasons and con- sistently this spring, Mostert demonstrated an ability to break tackles, using significant strength in his 195-pound frame. It's an element the Boilermakers were lacking in the run game last season when Cottom couldn't hold up physically. Now, though, they think they have it. "He is in the right spot," Hunt said of Mostert's move to running back. "You can look at both of us, and you can see he's more powerful, he's stronger. He's got the body type to be a running back, and he has speed, so once he busts through the line, with the linemen we have, there's going to be holes. "I hope the teams are ready. Let's just be honest. When he breaks through the line and he's at the second level, no one is going to catch him." FINDING FITS But how to find the balance of managing the interesting dynamic of Hunt and Mostert? How to figure out who gets more snaps, who gets more of the workload with Mostert on the ground or Hunt in the air? The best solution could be the simplest one: Don't choose. Let the defense decide. Put Hunt and Mostert on the field together. They can line up as split backs or with Hunt in the slot, a position he impressed at during the spring. The pair can't really envision a better scenario. Finishing this ride together, side by side, with everyone watching. Knowing their names, knowing their strengths, and, seeing their bond through it. "If we're both on the field at the same time, then there's a linebacker going to guard him at split, then they only have a certain amount in the box. What are they going to do?" Mostert said. "They can't guard me and Akeem out there. That's one thing Coach Shoop really feels great about. "Both of us are going to make plays. There's no ifs, ands or buts." j