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IllustrateD volume 25, issue 1 29 f help you as an offense? Shoop: "We're unbelievably lucky to work against the kind of defense that we have. We've seen a lot of different looks and it really pushes us as coaches, it really pushes us as players, to stay sharp, think on our feet. Because Coach (Greg) Hudson gives us a lot of different looks and it's re- ally been competitive in all the right ways, in all the ways you hope it is. If we got him in the morning, the defense got us some in the afternoon. I think with a head coach like Coach (Darrell) Hazell, we're not two different units, we're one team. Our defense is working like heck to make our of- fense better, and our offense is working like heck to make our defense better. We're all pulling in the same direction. I can tell you from experience, that's not always the case in the game of football." Gold and Black: Considering some of the poten- tial playmakers you have, with Akeem Hunt, Raheem Mostert, B.J. Knauf, Danny Anthrop, etc., how do you find a balance as a play-caller with wanting to just get it in their hands quickly, throwing a bunch of screen passes, to keeping defenses off-balance and taking shots downfield? Shoop: "A lot of that has to do with how well you're pro- tecting. If you're not protecting well, obviously, you have to throw it fast and get it in their hands. We had some suc- cess with that (in the scrimmage). We had some catch- and-runs. I think our guys, for the most part, transitioned into blockers pretty well downfield, turning a 12-yard run into a 22-yard-something after a catch. Those are good things. But you certainly have to be able to deepen the safeties a little bit by throwing it over their head. It's just something we have to work a lit- tle bit harder on and a lot of that starts with the protection as well. We all have to have the confidence that we can may- be get a two-hitch throw off." Gold and Black: Did you notice having the offense more spread out from sideline to sideline helped your run game? Shoop: "I think you're right. Some- times even when we're tight, we have the ability to get out wide. We definitely want the defense to have to defend all 53 yards (sideline-to-sideline) of the field. It has helped create a few running lanes, no doubt. We need to keep that up." Gold and Black: There were significant transforma- tions of players' bodies during the offseason. Did that show up in camp in terms of playing more physically? Shoop: "I think so. The stronger your body becomes, the stronger your spirit and confidence level is. These fresh- men are sophomores now and some of them are redshirt sophomores, so the stronger they get, the more confidence they're going to get. It's a lot of different things that these guys have worked hard at getting done, from the weight room, to film study, to studying their craft, to learning de- fenses, to speed and fitness, all of those things go into it. One of the things I like seeing is the bodies are stronger, but the posture is different, too. There's a confident gait about many of the players that maybe we didn't see that year. That comes from a lot of hard work. Coach Hazell has an uncommon touch in building team chemistry and devel- oping team confidence, and I hope it shows up in a couple weeks." Gold and Black: You say often that players make de- cisions on who plays, not coaches. With that in mind, which players stuck out to you in camp by meeting enough of your requirements and standards to solid- ify spots? Shoop: "Raheem and Akeem have both really made some plays. Akeem has made some plays from a lot of dif- ferent alignments. When you start doing that, your number 1241 Cumberland Ave, Suite B West Lafayette, IN 47906 Phone: 765-497-0197 www.bankerinvestmentgroup.com Bill Banker, President Purdue University Alumni 85' Purdue Baseball Alumni 81'-85' A Fee-Based Investment Advisor located in the Purdue Research Park 25+ Years of Investment Management Experience