Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/558473
52 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED Y ears ago, Frankie Williams started talking to the sprinter next to him, inter- rupting Anthony Brown's moment of solitude as the two stood in their lanes preparing for a 100-meter dash. It was a quick conversa- tion: The always-talkative Williams, of Robinson High School, wanted to know if his competitor was Anthony Brown, from Hillsborough High, the one who could run a 10.5. The answer was a quick yes. Brown won that day — and every one of the other times they raced while growing up in Tampa — but that's ir- relevant now. What's important is that that first track meeting led to the next, then to a reunion at Purdue, where the relationship has grown. And now, the seniors have a chance to be one of the best cornerback duos in the Big Ten. "We're the 'Tampa Two,'" said Brown, referring to their nickname derived from the Buccaneers' defense that helped the hometown team win Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2003. "It's go- ing (to happen) this year, we're going to win some games, we're going to get our team rocking, we're going to get it right this year." If Purdue does get it right, it'll like- ly have a lot to do with Williams and Brown. The Boilermakers feel like they can put the duo on islands on each side of the field, asking them to play press man coverage to help elim- inate opponents' options outside the perimeter. Michigan State has used a similar scheme to great success in recent years, committing extra de- fenders to stop the run while daring opponents to throw. "We're working toward the coaches only having to worry about the middle of the field," Williams said. "So out- side the hashes, that's our responsi- bility. The good teams in this league, the teams that have won, have had corners that could take everything away outside those hashes. We feel like that's what we have." Williams has the résumé to back up his claims. The 5-foot-9, 190-pounder was second-team All-Big Ten last sea- son, after having 74 tackles, three in- terceptions and seven more breakups while at safety for nine games, then cornerback the last two. He'll play the latter again this season, the same as he did his first couple seasons at Purdue. Brown's numbers aren't as eye-pop- ping — the 5-11, 190-pounder had 54 tackles and 10 passes broken up, but dropped several near-sure intercep- tions in his first season as a cornerback — but many feel he's on a verge of be- ing a game-breaker. They anticipate causing headaches for opponents, and teammates agree. "When you have the ability to erase two guys off the field and then you're playing 9-on-9, you don't have a whole lot of answers for that," quarterback Austin Appleby said. "That's what we have with Frankie and AB. Those two guys are as good as anybody I have ever played against." The on-field relationship works, as it does the off-the-field. The two have grown close over the years; after meet- ing on high school tracks in Tampa, Williams, a year older, hosted Brown for the latter's official visit to Purdue in the fall of 2011. Since then, they've bonded, to the point where they now talk about everything, from football to family. They'll go grocery shopping to- gether, hang out on campus and when they're back home in Tampa, play video games — highly competitive electronic battles — and will soon be roommates. "I think we really realize that the more we hang out, the better we are," Williams said. "We always talk about (when we were) growing up, some of our friends from home we already know what they're thinking. When we get to that point, when we don't even have to talk, that's when we're going to be something good." Brown might prefer a little less talking. He's the more introspective of the pair, going about his business on his own, figuring that others will see his hard work and try to replicate it. Williams can't stop talking. He tells it like he sees it, with a candor that's appreciated more so by some and like- ly less by others. It makes him one of Purdue's most vocal leaders, and a likely captain in the fall. "That's probably a little bit of a blessing, that they're a little different and competitive still," defensive coor- dinator Greg Hudson said. "I'm sure one wants to do better than the other, which is great. They have a healthy re- lationship and they work hard. "They like football. It's not a rec sport, it's full-time football for them." THE MOTOR Anthony Brown might be one of the "Those two guys are as good as anybody I have ever played against." Austin Appleby