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54 ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 24, ISSUE 6 f with the degree angle he needed his ankle to hit for re- covery. He changed the background to a picture of him sitting on the ground after the injury, surrounded by ath- letic trainers. "I'm sure that motivated him a lot so he could get back on the field," Evan Feichter said. Landon Feichter returned to the field against Iowa on Nov. 9, two months and two days after the Indiana State game. He managed to play injury-free in the final four games but still imposed his presence in the season finale, draw- ing a targeting penalty against Indiana that likely will have him suspended for the first half of the season open- er in 2014. Considering his injury issues already in the season, some may have let up. Feichter can't. "I love sticking my head in places where it shouldn't be," he said. "I know the consequences that it can bring, too. That's what I signed up for, I guess. I think there has been a little bit of unluck, but nothing is going to real- ly slow me down. If I have an injury, I've played through plenty of injuries before. I guess if I have another one, I'll play through it." FINISH STRONG Preferably, Feichter would finish his career with an injury-free season in which he's able to really show how valuable he can be to Purdue's defense. An 80-tackle season as a sophomore was enough to lead the team but it is not Feichter's ceiling, he said. Per- haps the same goes for his four interceptions that year — a figure that tied for the Big Ten's lead. And it certainly won't hurt that his embers have been stoked. During a spring exit interview with new secondary coach Taver Johnson, Feichter didn't get as favorable of a review as he'd have liked, John Feichter said. "I didn't think I'd have to do it again, but I'm looking at this as I've got to win them over," the son told the father after the meeting. It's not a position Landon Feichter thought he'd be in as a fifth-year senior. But it's at least familiar. Seems like how it's always been, especially as DB coaches have used West Lafayette as a turnstile over the last five years. So Feichter will continue to do what he does: Work. "I just have a competitive nature," he said. "If some- body is beating me in a sprint or lifting more weights, I actually kind of get (ticked) about it. I guess take it a little personal. I had a successful season two years ago. I think I could have done better than that. That season is not the best I think I can do, so I'm not satisfied. "I'm just excited to get out there and be healthy. I played, I guess, a half of a game last year that was healthy. I'm just excited to go out next season and hopefully help the defense as much as I can being healthy and staying healthy. I feel healthier than I ever have. So I'm very ex- cited for next season." So are his teammates. They're eager to see that toughness on display for a full season. They're eager to get back the quarterback of the de- fense, one who always seems to be in the right place, one unlocking more tomorrows our mission is discovery our goal is to cure cancer. cancerresearch.purdue.edu Dorothy Teegarden, PhD Professor, Foods and Nutrition