Gold and Black is a multi-platform media company that covers Purdue athletics like no one else.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/506631
GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 25, ISSUE 5 21 is how many times, not on a scram- ble, but on a dropback, did the ball go over our heads? If you can stop those two things and get turnovers, then you have a chance to be really successful." Q: Do you feel like most of the questions you went into the spring with you got answered or are there still some lingering? Hazell: "I think the lingering ones are the (defensive) ends, who those ends want to really be. Our long snap- per (Ben Makowski), it would have been nice to have him out there. I'm almost positive he can do it, but you'd love to see him do it. I thought our kicking game was a little bit sporadic at times. But we know they can do it." Q: What do you need from the ends? Hazell: "I want them to protect the edge. The ball kind of slides outside too many times because they want to jump inside and make a play, and that's a matter of discipline, it's a matter of being able to hit and separate, locate where the ball is." Q: You have some help coming in. Hazell: "I think Shayne (Henley) will help us in strength, I think he'll help us in his athletic ability and I think him being a little bit older, that'll also help us. I'm not overly concerned, but we have to get better in that area." Q: There was a concern entering the spring about the safeties, re- placing your top three guys there. What'd you think? Hazell: "I thought they were better in the second half of the spring than they were in the first half, which is what you want, the improvement. Rob- ert Gregory is a different player when he's a low player than he is a high player. He's a much different player. He can be really good as a low player, so we have to make sure we think about those things down the road. I think Leroy (Clark) is really solid. He'll have a chance to be pretty good. Still got to keep growing. I'm not worried about the safeties." Q: Did Martesse Patterson make the biggest jump over the spring? Hazell: "He's probably one of the guys who made the biggest jump. He's really good inside as a guard. He's pret- ty good at tackle, but he's really good inside. I thought Bilal Marshall made some significant progress. (Joey) War- burg made some significant progress, very serviceable. I thought the tight ends made gradual progress, I don't think it was a huge jump. On the defen- sive side, (I saw) gradual progress." Q: Where was the depth chart at quarterback exiting the spring? Hazell: "I thought, for the most part, that Austin (Appleby) and (Da- vid) Blough were pretty consistent. But Danny (Etling) had his good days. We need them all to have all good days. But there's no lineup right now with those three guys. We've got to figure it out pretty quick with them. We can't go too long into camp not know- ing who the guy is going to be. Without putting a date on it, you try to figure it out as quickly as you can." Q: Appleby has the game experience. Does that fac- tor in? Hazell: "It helps him. But it's about how produc- tive you're going to be when you're out there, so that's the thing you're looking for." Q: But you're not going to know for a guy like Blough, who doesn't have the game experience, until he's out there. Hazell: "Correct." Q: Appleby worked on some me- chanical issues this spring, and it seemed like he got the ball out of his hand … Hazell: "A little quicker. He defi- nitely improved in that area. There's still things — all of them need to see the field a little bit better and have a better understanding. They can all tell you what the play is, they can all come up and tell you what the defense is, they have to put it together. I think they did better over the last couple weeks than they did early in the spring campaign." Q: Blough has shown great es- capability. But your offensive line could be pretty good next season. Can he win a game for you if he has to stand in the pocket, be poised and make throws? When I say "good," you say "neighbor." P097313.1 State Farm, Home Office, Bloomington, IL Call me for your insurance needs and see how it feels to be on a #1 team. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. ® CALL ME TODAY. Now that's teamwork. Trent B Johnson, Agent 249 E State Street West Lafayette, IN 47906 Bus: 765-743-9595 trentismyagent.com