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58 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATE VOLUME 26, ISSUE 3 rookie season was a productive one, even if it meant him staying on the bench. Having enrolled early, Sindelar got exposure to then-coordina- tor and quarterbacks coach John Shoop and his complicated offense, even if Sindelar had to largely sit out the spring while recovering from ACL surgery. But by training camp, he was getting team reps and using what he'd learned in the film room on the field, and he worked with Shoop on mechanics, espe- cially footwork on his drop and in the play-action and zone-read game Purdue ran. Once the season started, Sin- delar was shuttled to lead the scout team, an experience he said he savored because it allowed him to show leadership abilities. It also gave him a chance to perform against the No. 1 defense. As in everything, Sindelar made sure to prepare as much as he could even in that realm. He'd watch film of opposing quarterbacks — the ones he was simulating — to learn and model tendencies, the way he'd car- ry out a run fake or if that QB would stare down receivers, for example. But being a scout team QB wasn't ideal because Sindelar wasn't run- ning Purdue's offense. Instead, he was asked to simply read plays from a card and throw to those spots. Be- ing limited to one option was frus- trating for the young QB because if that option was covered, he still had to throw it. And that meant inter- ceptions mounted, not a great thing for confidence. But, ultimately, Sin- delar saw it as a good situation. But, maybe fortunately for him, it wasn't an experience that lasted for a season. When Appleby was suffering from compartment syndrome in late Sep- tember into early October, Sindelar was moved to backup QB and got reps behind Blough in practices for the next several weeks. He never went back to the scout team. "Being on scout team was great for me," Sindelar said toward the end of the season. "It allowed me to be in a position where I'm leading a team. So I got that (ex- perience) early, which was nice. Then of course they moved me to just take mental reps, which is what I like better anyway. This way I'm running our plays every time — whether I'm not actually phys- ically doing it, I'm getting a whole lot better. Now, if I get thrown into a situation, I'm like, 'OK, I know this.' Now (the next step) is just actually people running the routes for me. I am really thankful that I get to take mental reps rather than having to throw the picks on Thursday or any of that stuff with scout team." After Appleby came back and was the backup again, though, Sindelar didn't just sit back. He literally didn't stop moving. As Blough or Appleby were tak- ing snaps against the scout team defense, Sindelar stood about 15, 20 yards behind them mimicking the moves, working on his drops for passes or handoffs on run plays. Sindelar said it gave him perspec- tive he couldn't get if he'd watched from the sidelines: He could see the defense from behind the center. "No one told him to do it," Ha- zell said. "That's pretty amazing for a young guy to be able to do those things. It's very important to him to be good." Not just in football. Sindelar's major is engineering, with a heavy, difficult course load that he described as "out-the-roof" — and that required him to attend a tutor nightly. Redshirting helped him to be able to keep a firm focus on school, though he didn't let his film study or football preparation slack either. And his ability to handle both well impressed. "You can tell when he gets back there, there's no moment too big for him," Blough said during the season. "He stands tall. He's got a cannon for an arm. Everybody can see that. He's confident in how hard he's prepared, too. He wants it just as bad. He's studying engineering and he's coming in from his engi- neering classes, calculus and phys- ics, and he just comes out here and balls out." Sindelar said he improved in his first season, and he accepted red- shirting was "the process you have to go through." "I feel more uninhibited than I did before," he said of his growth on the field. "Before I was a little, 'OK, I think this is what I'm sup- posed to do.' But now it's, 'OK, get the play and now I'm ready to go.' I know what I'm doing. I know my drop, I know my reads, I know where they're supposed to be. So I feel good. "My time will come when it comes. I'm not worried about it." RUNNING BACK