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PURDUE UNIVERSITY MEDIA CONFERENCE

August 30, 2011

Danny Hope

THE MODERATOR: We'll get started with some questions for coach.

Q. Danny, first your thoughts on Middle Tennessee. They've been to bowl games three of the last five years. What kind of problems do they present?
COACH HOPE: They're a good football team. Obviously they've won the last couple years. They've had some post-season play. They're a fast football team. On the defensive side of the ball they're real big in regards to bringing pressure, a lots of blitzes. They'll hang their hat on trying to disrupt your offensive front. They do a great job of making sure they always have you outnumbered in the box, so they're strong against the run game. They have good speed, good quickness.
Offensively their quarterback is a very accurate passer. We had a chance to watch some of his play from last year. He's an excellent passer. Great field general with the offense. They have an excellent runningback, No. 2, big play-maker for them, very reliable.
They spread the ball around a lot last year. A lot of players caught a lot of passes, as many as 10 players that made their stat list in regard to receptions.
Their offensive line is smaller than some of the others we'll see particularly once we get into Big Ten play. They're quick, they do a great job of zone blocking. Very fine offensive line coach.
Special teams-wise they're similar to us, accomplished players back for the 2011 season, blue-collar support cast. Press and trail guys, front wall guys on the kickoff return. A lot of experience coming back special teams-wise.

Q. From your team I know there's obviously been a lot of talk about the quarterback situation. With the runningback situation with Ralph and Akeem, how are they looking?
COACH HOPE: Really good. I think we're really strong at the runningback position. We have tough runningbacks. Ralph Bolden is a heck of a player, a proven player. He came back in camp. First time I've seen him really do a whole lot. He has looked excellent. I don't think he's missed a beat. Very fast, sudden, sharp, catching the ball well out of the backfield. Looks fast and confident on his knee. We've had some physical play out there in camp. He does a great job of punching up there in short yardage and goal line situations. Ralph is fully recovered.
Akeem Shavers, a great addition. Had a heck of a spring. A very tough runningback, very strong, one of the strongest guys on our team pound-for-pound. He's like Ralph in some ways where he has a lot of punch when he finishes his runs. He's a very good blocker as well.
Jared Crank has been in the program for a while. He's a talent. 245-pound runningback, good runner of the ball, good receiver. As well as Reggie Pegram. We have a lot of depth.
Really fine halfbacks, two big backs that could be good ball carriers as well.

Q. You've been doing a good job in terms recruiting speed, freshmen coming in. How many freshmen do you feel will be able to contribute right away?
COACH HOPE: I believe all the junior college players that we signed will help us this year. Kaulana Judd, Akeem Shavers, Sterling Carter, the tight end, as well. I think the junior guys will help our football team in the first game and even more so throughout the course of the season. I really like what we're seeing out of Akeem Hunt. He was a guy in the recruiting process we thought was an exceptional athlete. He fared well at the Georgia state track meets. Scored more points than any other athlete that signed a BCS contract. He's been outstanding throughout the course of camp. Very fast, very physical. He's looked really good on special teams. He's looked good when he got varsity reps. Looks great on the scout team. Going to be a guy that's hard to keep off the field. As well as Brandon Cottom, 6'2" and some change, 255 pounds. Was an excellent punt returner in high school, special teams as well as a big back.
Then the two young defensive backs, both of those guys would have a chance. Taylor Richards, I think he's been rotating with the two-deep. We plan on him playing some this Saturday. Then Frankie Williams and Armstead Williams, the linebacker, out of Pennsylvania, has also done a great job. Anticipate him playing possibly in the first game or sometime throughout the course of the season.

Q. Your team went through a lot of adversity last year with the injuries. I'm curious where you think the level of confidence is with your team is right now.
COACH HOPE: I think we have a very confident football team for a lot of the right reasons. I think we look back at the 2010 season, it only served to make it stronger and better prepared for the 2011 season. We had 18 freshmen that played very well and a lot of first-time performers that played very well. Even though we're somewhat a young football team, we're somewhat experienced. I think we gained a lot of confidence from some of the achievements we did last year with a young football team.
We also had a great summer preparing for camp. Almost our entire football team was in West Lafayette with our new director of sports performance. He has some new ways of getting our team ready. I think our team has bought into his fashion and his methodology. I think we're a more confident football team as far as getting physically ready for camp.
Then the way we practiced, we have practiced like a football team that's on a mission. They have showed up with a lot of energy, really focused on details. I don't believe there was any point in time during camp where we ever really hit the wall as a football team. I don't believe there were any practices that we went through that were non-productive. I think we got better every football practice. I think they realized that. They put a heck of an effort into it and I believe they have confidence based on the quality of their preparation.
Even though there was some rough sledding last year, a setback at the quarterback position, already this year we are a confident football team just based on who we are, what we're about, what we've been through, the effort we're putting into it on a daily basis.

Q. You mentioned the defensive pressure that Middle Tennessee likes to bring. You have an inexperienced quarterback in there. Is there any concern there? Anything you can do to get Caleb and Sean ready to see a lot of blitzing on Saturday?
COACH HOPE: Sean played in some games last year. He's far ahead in some ways for a guy that's only been in the program for a year. Caleb TerBush has been here for a while, got a ton of reps. It was a blessing in disguise in some ways as far as having Caleb ready right now, that he was able to get so many reps at the beginning of camp. Those guys have a good feeling for what we're trying to get done from an offensive standpoint. They have a good feel on what protections they would need to check against certain blitzes, certain looks to get themselves fully protected.
Obviously we can manage some of that ourselves from a coaching standpoint where they can get the ball out of their hands in a hurry where the pressure might not be as big of a factor. I think Caleb and Sean both will be in position to do very well as long as the people that are around them do very well. It's hard to play really good at quarterback if the people around you aren't playing well. That's going to be one of our keys this week, to get ourselves in a position where our offensive line can play well, our receivers can play well.

Q. This is obviously not a conference game. It is a season opener. You have a long season ahead of you. Just this one game, how much meaning does this have in the scope of your whole season?
COACH HOPE: Right now it's the most important game on our schedule. We need to get a win. Our football team needs a win. We need to play well, have some success. I think it's important, not a means to all ends, but important for this football team to start fast this season. I think building momentum early in the season can be important for this football team this football season.
We're a football team that's committed to taking it one game at a time. Right now it's Middle Tennessee. It's a game we have to win. We're prepared very well for Saturday. Our guys expect to win. It's the biggest game on our schedule, no question about it.

Q. Middle Tennessee will probably have to bring a lot of pressure via the blitz. How much does it help you to have a bunch of offensive linemen who played so much together?
COACH HOPE: I really like our offensive line. The communication factor is not near as big as it used to be in a lot of ways. It's overrated nowadays, as far as the center being a quarterback. There's still some truth to it, but nothing like years ago. A lot of it has to do with the trend towards zone blitzes. You call protections where you slide your front, take some of the thinking part out of it.
The thing I like about our offensive line is there is some experience and a lot of athleticism on the offensive line. I think it's a very athletic offensive line. I was an offensive line coach for a long time. I think it's one of the better offensive lines I've been around in many years. Potentially could be better. We have experience and size. We're not the biggest in the league. The right side of our offensive line, Justin Kitchens is 6'4" and a half, 284 pounds, bench presses about 440 pounds, not an ounce of fat on him. He's a premiere athlete. Nick Mondek, 6'5", 300 pounds, bench presses about 500 pounds. I think he clocks about a 5 flat this summer. Two really athletic offensive linemen on the right. Dennis Kelly has been a four-year starter. NFL-caliber prospect. Then Peter did a heck of a job for us at center last year. One of the hardest positions to play on the field. We have him at left guard right now. He's performed very well. He can play at any one of the positions on our offensive line, either tackle spot, guard spot or the center position. I've only been around a couple guys in my 30 years that can play all positions at this level. I think Rick Schmeig is right at the center position, strong, tough, has a knack for it.
Pressure is going to be an important factor this weekend. I think we have exactly what we need to get that done with an experienced athletic offensive line.

Q. You watched tape from last season of Middle Tennessee. How much did their offense change when they had Logan in?
COACH HOPE: It changed significant ways when Kilger was in the line and passing the ball. When (indiscernible) was in the game, it could have been run or pass. Sometimes it was passes that manufactured into runs. Kilger is very accurate with the football. He has good height. I think he's about 6'3". They have him set back deep in the pocket. He takes an even deeper drop once he gets the snap. He's throwing the ball way behind the center, does a good job getting the ball out of the his hands. Not many hits on him. A very good quarterback, good test for our defense, particularly pass defense.

Q. When you look at their skill guys offensively, anybody jump out?
COACH HOPE: Well, a lot of receivers that played last year, a lot of receivers that caught passes last year. They're in double-digits in regards to stats for passing and receptions. Their big runningback, No. 2, is a very good player. He makes people miss. Has a great understanding of the offense. He blocks. Heck of a play-maker. Very reliable player.
They have a big receiver coming back, No. 15, that really sticks out on film. Good size, speed. Caught a lot of passes last year. They have some very good athletes at the skill position. The quarterback really makes them go.

Q. These last couple of days, did you get any more information on Henry's knee, what his time frame is going to be?
COACH HOPE: No.

Q. Can you bring us up to date on Gabe Holmes, how he's doing from an injury standpoint?
COACH HOPE: I'm more optimistic today than I was at the end of last week. He was able to get out there and practice some. Hasn't gotten any scrimmage reps, but some individual work, getting his stance, hit the sled. He rides the sled. Individual routes. He ran well, made sharp cuts and caught the ball. We think he's going to be fine. Have to go through the next couple of days without him tightening that hamstring again. I think he's going to be okay for the game. He missed a lot of work. He was really coming on, really improved. I thought he was on pace to become a dominant player early in the season. I hope he can retain the reps. It's going to be a low-rep process getting him ready to play for this game. He has a potential to be something very special.

Q. Might it be a game-time situation?
COACH HOPE: No, I think he's going to be okay. He'll practice some tomorrow. We have to be careful we don't have him do too much too early where it gets sore or aggravated. I think he's going to be fine for Saturday.

Q. Can you talk about Will Lucas, what you've seen from him.
COACH HOPE: He's a lot of fun to coach. He can be an outstanding player. He has the in that case to play the position. He was a great player in high school. I think he had almost 170 tackles in his senior year, awarded the top defensive player in the state of Florida from Orlando north. Very fast. Probably runs 4.5 in the 40. Strong, packs a lot of punch, a lot of wallop. If he's sure of his keys in reads, he can decipher the play and get there in a hurry. He can be an outstanding player in his position.
I think he's really progressed. I think Coach Elmassian has been good for him. I think he's made a lot of progress to being true to his run reads, made real progress in his pass defense. Linebacker position is a lot more difficult to play nowadays than maybe 10, 15, 20 years ago, where you have to be stout against the run, have a lot more assignments to pass defense compared to decades ago. Will Lucas has the ability to be exception against the run and pass. He can have a breakout year if he plays up to his potential.

Q. I noticed you didn't have return men on your two-deep as of now. Is that because there's still some competition?
COACH HOPE: I've got it on my two-deep. I just didn't give it to you guys (laughter).
There's some competition. Health has a lot to do with that as well, new guys. A lot of factors. At least we have more people to put back there than we did at any point last year. I went into the season last year thinking we had all new skill players, toys to play with with regard to making big plays, being a part of the return game. One by one we lost them due to injuries. At one point I was afraid to put the few top players we had left back there to catch a kick, afraid we would lose them.
From a kick return standpoint, we have about half a dozen guys that we've looked at and really like. I like Antavian Edison and O.J. Ross. He's a heck of a player, very strong players. He has cat quick hands, snatches the ball out of the air, makes tough catches. Bench pressed 280 pounds, ran 3 something in the 40. He's more flexible than he was a year ago. But he could be back there returning kicks for us.
T.J. Barbarette was a good kick returner last year. He's healthy now. We wanted to utilize him more last year. He had an injury. He's healthy. We anticipate him getting some of the duties back there. Akeem Shavers, Raheem Mostert, Michael Eargle back there. I'm not sure which two. I have an idea, but I won't announce until we get closer to game day. If it's raining and windy...
Punt return-wise we've been looking at Ricardo Allen. Fastest guy on our team when we timed them this summer. A big play-maker. Even though Waynelle was our return guy last year, he didn't manufacture a lot of return yards. He looks like a whole different guy to me this year. He's lost some weight. He's a lot stronger, a fit-looking body, a lot more confident. Sometimes when we're watching the film of the practices at night, him playing the receiver position, I have to rewind the film to make sure it's really him. I've never seen him go as hard or fast. I think he's been as I've been around at fielding punts. Looks like a faster, more confident player. Justin Siller back there. Also Antavian Edison and T.J. Barbarette. We have some guys that can go in the game return-wise.

Q. Just assess where you're at defensive end. What have you seen out of Ryan Russell from the start of camp?
COACH HOPE: Ryan is an excellent prospect. He's still young in some ways. He was redshirted last year. He's a big defensive end from a potential standpoint. He's probably 6'5", about 260 something pounds, has four years of eligibility left. He runs well. He's very strong, particularly from the waist down. Has some good weight room numbers in regards to the squat.
A couple years from now he'll be a force to be reckoned with. As he gets bigger, stronger, older, he potentially can be a standout player. He has done well throughout the course of camp. Physical enough and strains hard enough to be effective against the run as well.
Gerald Gooden is the best he looked in two years. I thought he was a good player two years ago even though I thought he was overshadowed significantly by Ryan and other big defensive ends in the league. Gerald Gooden was a good pass-rusher two years ago. I thought he had excellent quickness, suddenness, was an aggressive player. Last year he wasn't near as productive, playing most of the season recovering from a sports hernia. He has recovered, is much more physical, much more sudden and quick. He's bigger and stronger.
Again, we don't have Ryan back, I think we have a better Gerald Gooden. I like Ryan Russell, and Robert Maci can play at both spots. He always has been a very good football player. He had to play when he was really young. Backup role at the end position. He's older and stronger now, knows how to play his position.
I like what we have. Still not a Ryan over there, but we can certainly manufacture a lot of plays with Maci, Gooden and Ryan Russell as well.

Q. Is Ryan Isaac still in that mix or do you like him at tackle?
COACH HOPE: I like him better inside. There's going to be a place for him when we need a big strong guy to go out there and whip the tackle, make some plays.
Obviously some of our pass-rush we can manufacture from pressure, just like any other team. We're very fast in the back half, feel like we can land and get there in a hurry. Manufacture some of our pass-rush with blitzes and pressure.

Q. What's the biggest difference you've seen in Sean Robinson this year compared to last year?
COACH HOPE: Well, he knows what to do. That's huge at the quarterback position. He wasn't ready last year. It was very unfair in a lot of ways he was kind of thrown to the wolves had to play without us having the opportunity to prepare him for the magnitude of the games he had to play in.
He's been very accurate with his passers. He has shown good arm strength. He understands the offense. Sean has a lot of pride. There's not many people that will out work Sean in his pressure to get ready for a game. He'll study film, notes, has a good football IQ. He's like a lot of our other players just because they played last year they're so much further along at this point in time than last year. The same with Sean Robinson. I think he's doing a good job of executing our offense.
We came into the camp assuming that Robert Marve was going to be healthy. I was sure that he was going to be ready to go. I was surprised when he wasn't. He will be ready soon, but he's not ready yet. Then Rob Henry got sick during camp. He missed a significant amount of practices the first half of camp. As a result, Caleb and Sean had to get all the reps. It's ironic how it worked out, both of those guys got the reps with the ones, especially Caleb. He was having a lights-out camp. I think he started camp out faster than any of our quarterbacks. He had a bunch of reps, kept getting better and better. He's certainly ready to play.

Q. You just mentioned Marve. Did he not do what he should have done in the rehab process?
COACH HOPE: What do you mean?

Q. Was he not as diligent of how much he should have been working? There's a reason you thought he should have been ready by this point obviously. Physically his knee didn't heal as fast or did he not do as much as he could have in the process?
COACH HOPE: Well, I wonder where you get an assumption like that. Robert has been here all summer long and was assigned to the rehab coaches. I assume they worked him as hard as he needed to work. He's one of the harder working people we have on our football team on the field and in the weight room. I can't imagine how he would fall short effort-wise in his rehab over the course of the summer.
Again, I get a medical report every day. I don't remember anything indicating he wasn't doing a good job from a rehab standpoint.

Q. Why do you think you can win with Caleb? What is it about him?
COACH HOPE: Well, he's 6'6", 230 pounds, has a strong arm, accurate, has been in the program for three and a half years, has a lot of velocity on the ball. Executed our offense very well from day one of camp. He's a talent. He's a talent. He really is.
Coach Tiller I thought was as good as there is in the evaluation process, particularly at the quarterback position. He didn't miss very often. He certainly didn't miss with Caleb.

Q. We asked Caleb last week just about he ran quite a bit in high school. Now he says he feels more comfortable in the pocket. Is running the option for him an option?
COACH HOPE: No pun intended, he is. You don't have to run as fast as Rob Henry to manufacture a run game with a quarterback. That's a luxury. Rob Henry is as fast as any quarterback playing the game anywhere. A class sprinter at the quarterback position, which is something to be excited about. Caleb doesn't run like Rob Henry, but he runs pretty well to be 6'6", 230 pounds. At one point in time we were going to use him some in a two-quarterback system, throw the ball, let them tackle him a little bit because he is a big, physical guy.

Q. What is something you're most eager or anxious to see from your team on Saturday?
COACH HOPE: That's a fair question. A lot of things. I want to see them execute like we've been executing in practice. We're going to make some mistakes. Don't misunderstand me. Someone is going to jump off-sides, someone is going to get a penalty. We've executed very well.
We have more players that have played in games, played well in games, when we started the camp off. We started the camp off executing well. I want to continue along that pace from an execution standpoint. That's one of our keys this year for us being successful, being a football team that can execute in all phases of the game.
I think we can execute in our first game well offense-wise, defense-wise, special teams-wise. That hasn't always been the case.

Q. Always seems like they're trying to find a balance of defensively how much you're going to do in these early games, whether you're going to blitz a lot, show everything you have. Do you want to be that aggressive defense and create things especially against a team that led in turnovers?
COACH HOPE: We have a plan of going into the game. As the game goes will sometimes dictate what part of your plan you utilize the most. We have good, strong players to line up and play very well using base defense. We have a heck of a pressure package that's I think rock solid sound that we've executed really well throughout the course of camp. I would anticipate us going into the game loaded to utilize either one.

Q. In terms of linebackers, we've talked about those starting three guys, who is maybe a pass-rush threat of those guys?
COACH HOPE: Well, experience will go a long way with that. All of our linebackers have played. I think Will Lucas is an excellent pass-rusher. Every time we have utilized him from a pressure standpoint, he has outstanding closing speed. That's a difference maker for you. We can bring any one of our inside backers. They're guys that have enough physicality about them, foot speed, to take on the rush and manufacture some pass-rush. I'm comfortable with any one of our linebackers, potential pass-rusher force if we need to call that type of defensive play.

Q. On the depth chart you had the long snapper as an 'or'. One will do it on punts, another on kicks?
COACH HOPE: Possibility, right.

Q. There's a difference between the two snaps. I'm pleading ignorance on that.
COACH HOPE: We have more specialists. We can use Carson as a kickoff guy, field goal guy, certain punting situations as we have in the past. Same thing with our snappers. Depends what we're trying to get done. Both those guys can get that done very well. Maybe the punter has one guy he likes better, feels more comfortable with. We'll have a method to our madness, but we have two good snappers which is a good thing.

Q. In these non-conference tune-ups, what would it do confidence-wise if you went out Saturday and blew them out, or if they kind of hung with you?
COACH HOPE: We're showing up to get a win. We don't believe there's a tune-up on the schedule. They've been to a bowl game the last two of three years. They've had winning the last two or three years. I can't look at Middle Tennessee and look at them as a tune-up game.
We'll be happy to play our best. We want to start fast, have a lot of fun, execute, take care of the football. If we do those things, we'll come away with a win. That's what is important for us is to come away with a win. The most important game on the schedule is next Saturday and we need to win.

Q. Is Ralph Bolden ready for 20, 25 carries?
COACH HOPE: Absolutely. He's done fantastic. Again, I don't think he's lost a step. I was really surprised. I hadn't got to see him do much. The rules don't allow us to be around our guys much in the off-season. Haven't had much chance to see Ralph do a whole lot. Was thrilled to death the first day out there how fast he looked, took the ball, got it on the edge, out-ran most of the defense, catching the ball out of the backfield, making sharp, confident cuts in practice, really planting on his foot.
Again, we got down on the goal line a couple weeks back in camp in a scrimmage situation, live scrimmage situation, we gave Ralph the ball. The first play he didn't get in there. He punched it in there as hard as he could. We didn't manufacture much of a hole. Turned around, gave him the ball again, he was able to punch his way through, power his way down low, didn't shy away. That's when I knew he was ready to go, to have the courage on the line with the defense all stacked up to stop him.

Q. How do you feel Caleb handled last season?
COACH HOPE: Better than most. Caleb is a very likable guy, a great teammate. Really cares about his teammates and the football team. When he wasn't in position to play last year from an academic standpoint, was assigned to some scout team duties for the season, I thought he really embraced that role and tried to make a difference with it. He went down there, he competed, he threw the ball well, took charge of the offense. He gave our defense a fantastic look. He got better as a football player just by the attitude he took down with him to the scout team.
Was pleased with the way he handled last year. I think a lot of it had to do with the success he had early in camp and where he's at right now.

Q. How is he better than he was before (indiscernible)?
COACH HOPE: He's a lot more sure. He's had the bulk of the reps through 20 something practices. Anytime you're getting the bulk of the reps, the game slows down some, your assignments and alignments, they become details that emerge during play because they're part of you. That's what I see. He looks a lot more comfortable, a lot more natural, a lot more confident. He understands the offense significantly better than he did at any point last year when he wasn't in the mix. Heave he's a big, strong-arm quarterback. He can throw the deep ball, runs well. He's a talent. Having lost Robert Marve temporarily, to have someone like Caleb is huge for our football team.

Q. I'm looking at your two-deep. Not seeing many in terms of freshmen. You're more experienced now. How important is that and how nice is it to be in a position where you have guys that have played?
COACH HOPE: This time last year we were optimistic that we could win in spite of what we had on our football team. We had a lot of young, talented players that we thought from an ability standpoint, from the quality of person standpoint that we could have a good football team and be able to win even though we didn't have a lot of experience coming back.
This year I don't look at any position on our football team and wonder whether or not we're going to be hold up in the game. This time last year I wasn't sure if our center was ready to play yet. He never played center before. He was spraying the ball all over the place in practice. He wasn't accurate with his snaps until three days before the Notre Dame game. Same thing with our right tackle last year, Nick, never played on offense, never been asked to get in the same stance and go forwards and backwards like you have to do as an offensive linemen. He really struggled through camp. Really probably didn't practice winning football throughout the course of camp until we got midweek of the Notre Dame game.
I don't see anyplace on our football team that I look at and concerns about not being ready to play this Saturday. A lot of players back, starters back.

Q. How much do you want to play Sean Robinson on Saturday and what factors do you look going into the game balancing the two quarterbacks?
COACH HOPE: We'll make a more exact decision as we get closer to game day. But we are committed to playing two quarterbacks. At one point in time I was really excited about a two-quarterback system. We wanted to do that a year ago when Robert Marve was the starter, and Rob Henry was a guy we had to get ready to play the quarterback position, a chance to get both of those guys on the field. Henry being a great athlete, get some yardage out of him.
Going into the season this year, thinking we had Marve and Henry back again, still wanted to employ a two-quarterback system some. Not really as our bread and butter, but a way to get both those players on the field at the same time and keep the defense all balance some.
We still had that plan. Whether or not we use that plan or not, we're going to play two quarterbacks somehow in each and every game. We have to prepare a number two quarterback. We have to have a number two quarterback that's ready to play. You can't get one ready to play unless you play with him in the game. I worked with Coach Nord at the University of Louisville and Oklahoma, our head coach, it was his policy that he would earmark some drives in the course of a game. Unless something unusual would happen, that number two quarterback was going in. The only way he gets some experience. You don't want the only time he goes in a game when it's on the line in a tight situation.
We're going to play Robinson some on Saturday. How much I don't know. We're going to get him in there and get us some game experience. He can help us win. He's a good football player, much further along than he was at any time last year. He's a good football, can help us win the first game and throughout the course of the season.

Q. Did you ever think you'd see Coach Tiller make the jump to the broadcast booth?
COACH HOPE: I think he's going to do great. I think it's going to be a lot of fun. I think it's a great idea to get Coach Tiller back around the football program some. He's a coaching legend, Purdue football icon. I think it's a huge shot in the arm for our football program. I think it will create some interest from our fans. I think it's a win-win all the way around. He's funny, well-read. He'll be prepared and do a great job.

Q. He'll have his eyes burning in the back of your head watching every move you make. That will be an interesting thing.
COACH HOPE: He's more than welcome to. I would polish his boots if he wanted me to. I admire and respect him. If he's got questions, comments, advice, I'm all ears.

Q. How do you think Cody and Carson have been kicking the ball during camp?
COACH HOPE: Good. Cody started off a little bit slow. He didn't have the height on the ball. Wasn't kicking it as straight and as far as the end of the season last year. That's probably to be expected because he was kicking it really far and straight at the end of last year. He was on the cutting edge from a punting standpoint.
I think he's done very well. I anticipate him to pick up where he left off at.
I think Carson has improved. He's hit more long field goals in practice than he did last year. His kickoffs are further. He's punted some, done a great job with it. I believe if he has the time of year that he can have, that he can be one of the top kickers available for the draft next year. He's really developed at his skills. Just exceptional at it.

Q. How has Logan looked in camp? What does it mean to have his brother on this team as a redshirt freshman?
COACH HOPE: It's great to have another Link onboard because they know how to work and hit. He in time will be a great football player for us as well. I like both our safeties, I like Albert Evans and Logan Link. They hit like linebackers that have a lot of experience at the safety position. I think Logan was our leader in tackling last year. He has a great nose for the football. I expect him to be even better than he was last year. But you always get Logan Link's best. He's a joy to coach. He's what coaching is all about.

Q. You mentioned you really like your safeties. I wanted to ask you about Albert Evans. Three months from now you wouldn't be surprised if he had a big year, would you?
COACH HOPE: I anticipate Albert having a big year and I'm counting on him to have a big year. He's a good leader for us. He's really a tough guy. He calls it like he sees it. Sometimes I refer to him just being brutally honest, and he is. He's a tempo setter for us. There's things we earmark to get done in practice that are effort oriented. We mention those things to our team. Albert is always one of the first to step up from an action standpoint. If one of our goals is to get more hats on the ball in a certain period of practice, Albert will be the guy that gets his hat there first. He's an excellent leader for our football team. I think he sets the tempo at times for our practice and for all of our football team.

Q. How do you think the linebackers core has been doing, especially captain Joe Holland?
COACH HOPE: Very well. There's a couple of positions on our football team that have improved significantly throughout the course of spring football and camp. I think the offensive line and the linebackers are the two spots on our football team that may have improved the most. Again, the linebacker position has changed a lot in the last 10 to 20 years where you have to be able to be a force against the run. There's very little margin for error in pass defense. I like the addition of Coach Elmassian on our staff. He has a very extensive secondary background on our coach. I think that allows him to tie the linebacker play with the pass defense with a little more level of efficiency. Our linebackers are experienced and they run well. I think they've been closer to the ball in the passing game and they've got their nose on the ball a lot more in the run game throughout the course of spring and camp. They're much more sure and true to our run reads and fits we're much more sure where we need to be in pass defense. I think we've improved significantly.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

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