Gold and Black is a multi-platform media company that covers Purdue athletics like no one else.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/620595
66 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATE VOLUME 26, ISSUE 3 said in November that it took "a long time" to get over the idea of being a full-time defensive player and admitted he was "slacking" in practice and off the field early in the season. That didn't end well: He was arrested in September. But af- ter that, Cooper said he realized he needed to lock in and be better. He still had his bumps after that, but he insisted he's ready to embrace challenges moving forward. "I learned that I can't rely on my- self for everything," Cooper said of his first year in college. "I tried to stay to myself when I first got here. I didn't listen to people much, coaches, teammates, things like that. They were trying to tell me, and I'm like, 'I can do this myself, I don't need your help.' Now, I lis- ten to everything everyone tells me. I take it in like a sponge and I can tweak it to the way I want to use it and I apply it to life. "Being redshirted was probably the best move for me. I've got a lot of experience at the position now and I'm going to make some big- time plays next year for us." Rose and Little had more experi- ence playing the position entering Purdue, and that landed both on the two-deep at points during camp. (Cooper also got some No. 2 snaps in camp.) Rose stayed there when season practices started and was active during the team's first four games, playing on special teams. He was suspended for two games (with Cooper) after his own Sep- tember arrest and didn't play again until the final game of the season against Indiana, according to Pur- due's statistics. "He's shown some ability," John- son said of Rose. "Obviously, (he's) a little more natural because he's played out there. But it's a maturity level, understanding the speed of the game at this level in this con- ference, understanding the overall aspect of our defense, but he has some skills." Little spent the season with the scout team and redshirted. "(He's) probably the quickest out of the whole bunch," Johnson said. "Not very big right now, but that's going to be the key, getting size on him. But he has great hips, has nat- ural ability at corner. It will be in- teresting to see how he develops." Safety Andy Chelf spent the sea- son on the scout team before tear- ing an ACL during November prac- tice. "I'll tell you what, he'll hit you. That's the one thing you like about him," Johnson said before Chelf's injury. "He's a tough kid. Just get- ting that ability, getting the speed down, things like that, it's going to be key." SPECIALISTS Joe Schopper didn't make a fa- vorable impression early in Pur- due's training camp, spraying punts all over the practice field. He admits it took him time to set- tle in, but once he did, it didn't take long to overtake a senior. Schopper replaced Thomas Meadows late in Week 2 and by the next week against Virginia Tech, he had assumed full-time punter responsibilities. "I'm a pretty competitive per- son, so my first thought is going to compete for the job and if it hap- pens, it happens and if it doesn't, keep getting better and improving. That's the mindset I've had this en- tire year," Schopper said soon after the switch was made. "That's what I'll continue to do. There's always a competition, every single day, and I've got to make sure I'm perform- ing every day." Schopper kept the job because of his performance. He averaged 40.2 yards per punt, tied for ninth in the Big Ten, and placed 20 inside the 20-yard line. In one of his first games, he boot- ed his season-long punt, a 69-yard- er into the wind. He had 11 other punts of 50-plus yards. "I think I have a decent-sized leg," he said. "If I hit the ball right, I can put it pretty far down the field and that can be a good weapon at times, I think." Schopper's job is much easier with good snaps, and Purdue relied on another freshman to do that job. Despite being hurt for much of training camp, Ben Makowski was healthy by Week 1 and held the long-snapper job throughout the season. "Ben and I spent all summer to- gether. He came early and I came over the summer. We have a good relationship," Schopper said. "We plan on continuing that relation- ship for the next four years." j