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Gold and Black Illustrated, Vol 27, Digital 5

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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 27, ISSUE 5 53 course of time. "The single biggest thing that has happened is the football transi- tion, as it is the most visible thing to happen. I'm very pleased with the early returns on that in hiring Coach (Jeff) Brohm and seeing him hire the people around him and then seeing him turn this program around and work these first cou- ple months. Everything I thought it would be under his leadership … it has been that and then some. I am very enthused about the direction and the tone his staff has set around the program. "With many things, we've got miles to go and we didn't get here in a day. We've worked at it the old-fashioned way to get ourselves out of a less-than-favorable spot. It will take time and you've got to start somewhere, and we have made that start. You can see positives and that focused approach that will really be seen when we have great success unfold." Gold and Black: When we spoke with you after you hired Brohm, you said maybe the athletic de- partment needed to demand a bit more, maybe it needed to hold people a little more accountable for that complete commitment and buy-in. With what you've seen from him and his staff over these last couple months, from that standard, you're getting what you're want? Bobinski: "No question. There is a clearly enhanced level of expectation. There's a performance standard that's there, and if it's not right, we're doing it until we get it right. There's a tremendous amount of teaching going on. It's an environment that's focused on success. You can see that. It's not focused on, hey, getting reps in to get reps in. It's focused in on having quality reps and reps that will put us in position to have success and do things in a positive way. That's very clear to me. The best coaches in any realm are great teachers, and I think we've got a great group of teachers on that field right now. "I ran into David Blough over in the weight room, and he's like, 'This is absolutely great.' He said, 'I'm absolutely loving it. I'm so excited to be part of getting this thing turned in the right way. That's what's about to happen.' It's great to see players excited and enthused because ultimately they're the ones who've got to get this done. I think they feel that and they see that in the intensity level that's there every day in everything, whether it be a drill, be 11-on-11, whatever it is. No detail is being overlooked. You've seen Jeff, if a guy is lined up half a yard too tight or too wide, everything matters. I think that's a very clear message." Gold and Black: What's the latest with the instal- lation of the lights in Ross-Ade Stadium? Bobinski: "The contracts have been awarded for both the general contracting work that's the structure, the foundation and all that as well as the actual lighting systems. That work will begin shortly after the spring game. We're right on the heels of all that happening. "At the same time, we've got an actual around-the- field project. All the non-playing-surface areas will be torn up and reconstituted with better drainage and the same kind of grass. We won't have some of the field looking one way and the rest of it looking differently go- ing forward. I think we'll also fix the infamous sinkhole once and for all. Honest to God, I started getting texts from people and I didn't know what they were talking about at first. It was a little overblown. "But the project will actually begin immediately after the spring game on the lights and, given the magni- tude and getting the steel in place and all that, it's a tight timeline, but it is scheduled to be in place in time for at least a week's worth of testing and burning the lights and calibrating and all that before we play a Fri- day night game." Gold and Black: Perfect segue into the Friday night game. When that initial schedule came out in November, Northwestern had two, and now it has none. But Purdue still is opening the home season "It is fun to meet all of these young people and meet as many of them as you can... Every athlete that I have gotten to know so far has made me proud that I can say they represent Purdue University. It makes you feel good about everything we have going on." Athletic Director Mike Bobinski

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