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14 IllustrateD volume 25, issue 1 f in camp at rush end, the staff think- ing that may be his best fit after play- ing mostly as a defensive end in high school, before getting some snaps with the second-team defense at mid- dle linebacker during the scrimmage. Though Bentley seems more pol- ished and has grasped the defense quicker, the rookies have something in common: They both came in physi- cally ready to play linebacker at a Big Ten level. "Not only are they strong, but they're physical," linebackers coach Marcus Freeman said. "I know a lot of strong guys who aren't physical. They have the mentality, 'We're going to be physical football players first.' As a coach, that's half of the battle. We'll get you lined up, we'll get you in the right position and we'll let you read your keys, but as long as you have a physical mentality, you have a chance to be pretty good and those two guys do." Bentley credits his move up the depth chart — he was splitting snaps with the first-team defense with se- nior Joe Gilliam for the second half of camp — with his work ethic, saying he approaches every day with a "hard hat" mentality. "I like to play hard-nosed football, and that's exactly what I'm getting out here, and I'm definitely having a good time and enjoying the process," he said. "My goal when I got here was just to be an addition to the lineback- er room and just help us as a unit, get better every day and clearly I'm reap- ing the benefits of it. "So I'm just going to continue on this path and hopefully it takes me where I want to be." Looking for depth Raheem Mostert and Akeem Hunt continually made big plays during camp — Mostert had one practice in which he broke off a pair of 40-plus- yard runs; Hunt had a team-high 112 yards in the scrimmage — to secure the top two running backs spots on Purdue's depth chart. But who's No. 3? Hazell and running backs coach Jafar Williams were searching for that player to emerge in camp, and it's likely down to a pair of under- classmen and a senior. Freshman D.J. Knox showed a nice burst, cutting ability and some pop during his first training camp, and redshirt freshman Keyante Green fol- lowed up a solid spring with a good camp, capped by nearly 70 yards rush- ing in the scrimmage. Both have traits that could help Purdue. "(Mostert and Hunt) definitely Tom Campbell Darrell Hazell was impressed overall with the way Purdue practiced over its two-week training camp, specifically liking its increased maturity, physicality and focus.