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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 27, ISSUE 3 53 entirety of the Nevada game. Neal struggled at points in that game, but Purdue's offense overcame it. That was not the case the next week in the Big Ten opener against Maryland when Neal played 10 snaps at left tackle before moving to right tackle for another 14 and then getting pulled after allowing too much pressure on David Blough. Neal didn't play another offensive snap the rest of the season, but if nothing else, he'll factor into the mix in 2017. King, for one, said he thinks Neal can be a factor next fall as long as he continues to work at the pace he did after that Maryland game. "I honestly think that could be the best thing that happened to him because even though it was so hard on him that day, and for a couple days after, it showed him how hard he had to work, and he really responded," King said. "That was impressive to see. He probably improved the most out of anyone as the season went along. In the last game, I would have been comfortable if he came out there. He got so much better." DEFENSIVE LINE Purdue may have seen its most sub- stantive impact from newcomers made on the defensive line with junior college transfer Austin Larkin and freshman Lorenzo Neal combining to start eight games at end and at tackle, respective- ly, and rookie Alex Criddle played in his first year, too. Larkin seemed in line to start from Week 1, as he lined up with the first- team group throughout training camp based on his motor and consistency in following assignments. An ankle injury derailed that, though, and Larkin didn't play in a game until Week 3. By then, Gelen Robinson and Evan Panfil had locked up the starting end spots, and Larkin spent the next several weeks getting healthy while playing sparingly. But, by the end of the season, he was a fixture on the field, loading up on snaps and trying to hold up when teams seemed to run hard at his side. Larkin finished the year with 18 tackles, including 2.5 sacks among his 3.5 for loss. Neal seemingly came out of nowhere, working his way up the depth chart after the season had started to nab a start in Eddy Wilson's absence in the Big Ten opener. He started three more games replacing the in- jured Jake Replogle but finished the season injured himself, missing the final three games with an undis- closed injury. But, when he was healthy, Neal did some good things. Though he played too heavy — he was listed in the 340s — he did show an ability to get in the back- field and disrupt plays with a bit of quickness. Against Nebraska, he had three tackles for loss, including his first career sack, among six tackles. "A lot of people think that just because I'm a big guy with a single-digit number (9) that I'm just going to sit there and clog up a hole and not really go any- where," Neal said the week after that Nebraska game. "Definitely you see it when I'm playing in a game and a lot of offensive linemen don't expect me to be able From Our Family to Yours... We Love the Boilermakers! WindowWorld.com Five Indiana Locations Lafayette Indianapolis Terre Haute Muncie Columbus NEW STORE 523 S. Earl Ave.