Gold and Black is a multi-platform media company that covers Purdue athletics like no one else.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/339722
62 ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 24, ISSUE 6 f with Purdue knowing it'd have to replace Webster this season. And the confident freshman says he's looking forward to competing for a job. "I just want to see where I stand and what I have to do to get on the field," the Pine Bluff, Ark., native said prior to arriving at Purdue in mid-June. "I want my name in the cookie jar, want to be in there com- peting." Punting isn't the only place McGehee has a chance to complete; he could on kickoffs also, where Mead- ows has held the job the last two years, with the re- sults not always being as good as desired. Last season, Meadows put only six of his 37 kick- offs into the end zone for touchbacks, and opponents averaged nearly 25 yards per return, making Pur- due's coverage unit the 13th-worst in the country. The Boilermakers could cover better, but the best way to do so is by Meadows — or McGehee — kicking high and deeper. Meadows is aware. In May, Meadows worked with Gary Zauner in Scottsdale, Ariz., in an effort to fix his lagging power. "I felt like I had lost some of my ability to trans- fer my weight through my body," Meadows said. "Over the last cou- ple years, I had gotten to the point where I was just swinging and just using the power of my leg. On kickoffs, the reason why you have that long approach to the ball, is that you're trying to build momen- tum with your entire body. And you want to transfer that through the ball. "I had developed a swing where I was only using the power of my leg and my body was just pret- ty much not coming through the ball. I've worked to bring my body through the ball and have already seen really good results." Ideally, Purdue would see clear- cut specialists emerge early in camp, at kickoffs, punter and particularly at placekicker. The No. 1 field goal kicker needs the latter part of training camp to work with his holder — Meadows, quarterback Austin Appleby and wide receiver Danny Anthrop might be the top options — and long snapper Jesse Schmitt to perfect timing. Griggs thinks it can be him. "I have to demonstrate that I can be more consis- tent," he said. "We have a lot of good guys, good spe- cialists and a couple new guys joining us who are tal- ented. All of us will be able to help the team in some way, but it will be up to the coaches to determine who will be able to help the team on Saturdays." Purdue's return specialists are better defined. That's particularly true of kickoffs, where Raheem Mostert and Akeem Hunt make up one of the more dangerous pairs in the country, as they've combined for four touchdown returns in their careers. Mostert, the nation's leader as a freshman in 2011, has averaged 28.9 yards per return during the last three years, with two touchdowns, while Hunt has av- eraged about 23.8 per attempt, with a pair of scores. Hunt's gotten a bulk of the attempts the last two seasons — Mostert was injured much of 2012 — but Purdue would probably prefer to see those more bal- Tom Campbell Frankie Williams showed some game-breaking ability as a punter returner last season, but didn't get many opportunities.