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40 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED T rust. The Boilermakers need to have it in their defensive scheme. They need it in their coaches. They need it in their teammates. And they've worked extensively to build it, starting from near scratch in 2013, when Greg Hudson took over the defense as part of Darrell Hazell's staff, until now, when they feel like they're on the verge. "That's a good word: Trust," junior defen- sive tackle Jake Replogle said. "That's some- thing that all the coaches talked about being a key part of any good defense." It takes time. Not only that, but effort, as well. And during the offseason Purdue has worked to build up as much trust as possible. During its spring practices, with each instal- lation of a scheme, Purdue's position coach- es took turns explaining their units' respon- sibilities to the rest of the defense. "It's a great idea to let the guys all know the other (players') responsibilities," Hud- son said. "We're at a stage where it doesn't distract from what they should be doing themselves, but it shows them what the oth- er guys are doing. That builds some equity in the responsibility of the player." It's helpful for a linebacker, for instance, to know where a defensive tackle will be in a certain rush defense. Then, the linebacker might better understand why his gap is his responsibility, and the reasons it's imper- ative that he be there. And if he follows his assignment, then perhaps he can trust the tackle to do the same, and be less apt to worry about what might go wrong. "Like on a read-option play, knowing whether (the ends) are going to chase the running back or keep contain on the quar- terback," Replogle said. "Knowing that it definitely helps us, knowing our job and how we fit into the scheme, not just knowing your little assignment but knowing the whole pic- ture. It makes it easier to understand the de- fense." And it gives the Boilermakers hope they can take another step. Last season, Purdue ranked 10th in the Big Ten in yardage, allow- ing 416 yards per game and 12th in scoring, giving up 31.7. Although those were marked improve- ments from the year before (460 yards and 38.0 points), there were a couple glaring problems: Purdue was last in third-down stops at only 46.7 percent (four percent less than second-to-last Rutgers and 18 percent less than top-ranked Wisconsin) and it had 2015 Defensive Preview Earning It BY KYLE CHARTERS KCharters@GoldandBlack.com Defense working to gain trust, respect