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VOLUME 25, ISSUE 6 59 'Ridiculous' Effort The guys with the ball or who can score points — the punt returner, the kick returner, the punter, the kicker — get much of the attention on special teams. They play crucial roles, certainly, with the ability to tack three points onto the scoreboard or change games with a booming punt or a flashy return. But they're not necessarily the ones Darrell Hazell needs to be all-confer- ence-type players in 2015. Purdue was last in the Big Ten in kickoff coverage in 2014. After a strong start, its punt team sputtered down the stretch. So Hazell has issued an edict for 2015. "Our effort has to be absolutely ri- diculous," he said. "We have to have tremendous effort on all four of those units, just crazy, over-the-top effort." It's a personality type Hazell is going to seek in returning players but also the freshmen, potentially offering a couple an early chance to play on only special teams. It's what D.J. Knox did last season, burning his redshirt, but he was happy to make an impact and knows what it'll take for the rest of those blue-collar guys to do the same. "I feel like you just need to go out there with a dog men- tality," Knox said, "because if you come out there on the opening kickoff and punch them in the mouth that says a lot right there. Special teams is the most important thing of the game because they can flip field position — and it can send a message." In more ways than one. Another of Hazell's goals for special teams to make what he called an impact play every week. That could be a 25-yard return to set the offense up in prime field position, could be Thomas Meadows dropping a punt inside the 10-yard line late to seal a game, could be Paul Griggs drilling a 50-yard field goal to silence the crowd. There certainly appear to be options to deliver on that di- rective. Frankie Williams likely will be back to return punts after becoming the first Purdue player since Anthony Chambers in 2002-2003 to average double-digit yardage in back- to-back seasons. Williams' 17.1 average on 10 returns last season was the high- est single-season average Steve Griffin's 18.2 on five returns in 1983. Williams is hardly satisfied, though. "You'll hear a TV commentator say, 'The most deadly punt returner in the nation,' and they'll have a simple punt return. But I could have had four (TDS)," he said. "But that's a blessing because I'm going to shock everybody. Those (misses) were on me. The blocking was there. I just have to do better." Danny Anthrop said he'd like to get a chance to return punts, too, even though his season-ending knee injury occurred on that return at Nebraska. To support his wish, it was a great return — he broke free down the right sideline and may have been on his way to a touchdown before his right knee buckled. In high school, Anthrop was an elite punt returner, scoring seven TDs. "I'd love to," Anthrop said. "It's one of the most fun things to do in football. I'm always up for it." Anthrop and Williams could be prime candidates on re- turn kickoffs, too, though Hazell didn't know mid-June which players would get that role. Knox, Anthony Brown and Trae Hart also got reps there in the spring. There are weapons in the kicking game itself, too. Seniors Griggs and Meadows have game experience and have had success, as well as struggle. Both should have them primed for solid seasons in their final ones. "I feel very comfortable with both those guys," Hazell said. "The fact that they have been out there and done it as many times as they've done it gives you confidence. Now, we have to punt the ball better down the stretch. That crushed us down the stretch. We have to be really good on the kicks we have to make, on field goals. Then we have do to a good job of kicking the ball off. If we can kick the ball in the end zone, that helps you so much." — Stacy Clardie Tom Campbell) Purdue has never had a player average double-digit returns on punts in three consecutive seasons. Frankie Williams is ready to do it, after averaging 16.8 and 17.1 yards the last two years.