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48 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED ing quarterbacks. Maybe that's the 6-1, 250-pounder, after he showed a bit of playmaking ability as a true freshman, with a couple sacks, in- cluding one vs. Notre Dame. Sophomore Antoine Miles, Rob- inson's backup in the spring, has shown playmaking ability — he had two tackles for loss, a sack and a pick in the two major spring scrimmages — but his consistency, particularly in his knowledge of the defense, hasn't been as high as one would like. Junior Evan Panfil is the likely starter at the defensive end spot. He looks the part, being 6-5 and nearly 270 pounds, and has a little expe- rience too, having been Ryan Rus- sell's backup the last two seasons. He thinks getting in more regularly now will help turn him into a more pro- ductive player. "I think it takes time to get in a rhythm," he said. "A couple plays to get out there, get into it, see who is blocking them, get used to the speed of the game. And I was given a great opportunity when I was young, but now I'm ready to be in and compete for a complete game, not be switch- ing in and out. … I'll be able to really feel everything out." Purdue needs it to be so, because the other options are unknown. Sophomore John Strauser has not yet played for the Boilermakers, although he enters his third year in the pro- gram, nor have newcomers Shayne Henley, a J.C. transfer, or Chazmyn Turner, a freshman. But any of that trio could factor in, either at end or rush end, where the need for more bodies is equally crit- ical. Perhaps in a sign that its expecta- tions are low, Purdue's not hoping to wow from its end positions. It wants execution. "We need them to play good solid football and not get us beat," Hudson said. "Now there's going to be a time when we need a play from them, but don't get us beat. Don't give up your main focus: Your edge, your contain, when you're spilling, we've got to do our job better than anybody. We might grade out at 90 percent, but you might not see a bunch of tackles, but we (aim to) affect the game." But Purdue needs a pass rush of some sort. The Boilermakers have not had much of one in Hazell's first two seasons, with 20 sacks a year ago and a measly 14 in 2013. And of the 20 last season, only Robinson's two came from returning ends. Panfil says he, Robinson and others have worked hard on pass- rush moves over the summer, getting in extra repetitions on a blocking bag after conditioning. "Our pass rush has been virtual- ly dead the last couple years," Panfil said. "… We've got to get there. If we don't get there, we're putting a lot of stress on the rest of our defense." LINEBACKERS For years, the play of its lineback- ers has not been a strength of Pur- due's defense. That string ends in 2015. In Bentley, Ezechukwu and Jimmy Herman, the Boilermakers have a trio that stacks up physically and ath- letically to many of its counterparts in the Big Ten. And now, after playing together for the second half of last season, they feel on the brink of be- ing game-changers. "They're big, physical and they un- derstand the game," Williams said. "I couldn't tell you a set leader for them. I think they all see eye to eye. They want to be the best every day and don't want to let the room down, don't want to let teammates down. That's all I can ask for. You are selfless, and that's what that group is. "We're going to take a big step because they understand the game more. And if they understand the game more, the coach will give them more tools, take the leash off a bit more." Bentley is the ringleader. After a freshman season in which he had 76 tackles (second-most on the team), with 3.5 sacks and an in- terception, he could garner All-Big Ten-type recognition in 2015. Eze- chukwu says Bentley has natural ability but desire, too. "He's a competitor on and off the field," the junior weakside linebacker said. "He wants to be the best at what he does. It's admirable to see some- body so young be that hungry and genuinely humble. He's just a com- petitor, wants to be the best and he trains like it and that's what makes him as good as he is." Bentley's pushed hard during the Linebackers Juniors 6 Andy James Garcia 6-0 228 SLB 29 Jimmy Herman* 6-4 230 SLB 32 Evan Pulliam 6-2 225 WLB Sophomores 4 Ja'Whaun Bentley* 6-2 260 MLB 19 Dezwan Polk-Campbell 6-3 210 WLB 36 Danny Ezechukwu 6-2 246 WLB 16 Garrett Hudson 6-3 240 MLB Freshmen 21 Markus Bailey 6-1 230 OLB 56 Wyatt Cook 6-2 240 ILB 22 Sawyer Dawson 6-2 215 OLB 40 Tim Faison 6-2 200 OLB * Projected starterr