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GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 27 • 13 "Last year, I got hurt at the end of camp and that really killed every bit of momentum that I had," said Marshall, who has added weight, up to about 195 on his 6-foot-3 frame, that'll probably help in stay- ing injury-free. "So I was focused to the scout team and to work on my craft. I feel like that humbled me in a way. I really just worked. I was going up against the 1s every day, and I really feel like that elevated my game. "A lot of people don't under- stand, I've been doing this for two years. That's it. For my whole life. My body is really starting to take control of it. I'm really starting to understand how to move my body as a receiver." Marshall was part of a group of Boilermakers who were up early during the offseason, getting to Mollenkopf at about 6:30 a.m. for extra winter workouts with receiv- ers and quarterbacks. He credits Yancey and Phillips for pushing him to attend. "Even when we didn't want to get up," Marshall said. "They pushed me to be great basically. We know we're all in this together." One of the Boilermakers' big- gest priorities for the spring was to find for playmakers on the pe- rimeter. They want to be a better downfield passing team, and to do so, need to win more of the 50-50 balls down the field. Marshall could help there. He showed so during practices, using his length to get into the air and rip away contested passes. In doing so, he's earned the trust of Appleby. "Time after time in practice, you'll see him be blanketed and I'll throw it up for him, because I know he's going to give me everything that he can and go make the play," Appleby said. Now, Marshall gives the Boiler - makers an intriguing outside option, perhaps a game-changing-type play- er, to go along with Danny Anthrop, who will return from knee injury, and Yancey, who appears to be nearing the form of his freshman year. "I'm as intrigued as you are be- cause it's real," wide receiver coach Gerad Parker said. "He's got the abil- ity to move guys. He's got a great understanding of what he's doing in the pass game because of his back- ground. He's smart. He's sharp. He's a great leader. You start tying all those intangible things into it with some ability, and he should be a good foot- ball player for us. He started to show that. "Now comes confidence. I kid with him all the time, I've coached a bunch of Miami guys, and I like coaching those guys with some edge. He has some confidence but still does things the right way. So for that reason, he's been fun to coach so far." j "He's got a great un- derstanding of what he's doing in the pass game because of his background. He's smart. He's sharp. He's a great leader." Wide receivers coach Gerad Parker on Bilal Marshall Tom Campbell Receivers coach Gerad Parker thinks if Marshall can ramp up his confidence, he can be very productive at the receiving position.