GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 27, ISSUE 5 26
M
arkus Bailey didn't quite reach his zone.
He was supposed to have a 12-yard drop toward the hash-
es in Purdue's Cover 3 on the third play against Indiana in
the finale last season.
But knowing it was a third-and-seven and that IU's receivers
probably would be running stick routes toward the first-down
marker — he knew those were high-percentage routes in that
situation against that coverage — Bailey slowly backpedaled to-
ward his zone area instead of pushing hard on the snap.
He was baiting quarterback Richard Lagow, wanting Lagow to
try to zip a pass between where the holes in the zone should be,
between the curl flat and Bailey. But Bailey made sure there was
no hole.
Armed with
intangibles,
talent, Bailey
intent on
becoming great
Tom Campbell
Markus Bailey doesn't like to look back at his first season as a full-time
starter, even though he led Purdue in tackles and interceptions. He has
higher expectations for Year 2 in a defensive scheme that may suit his
skills even more.
'It'
Factor
BY STACY CLARDIE
SClardie@GoldandBlack.com
