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BIG TEN CONFERENCE MEDIA DAYS

July 28, 2011

Danny Hope

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

THE MODERATOR: Our next coach is Purdue's head coach Coach Hope. You can open with a statement.
COACH HOPE: Good morning. I know everyone is excited about the season being here. We certainly are. Our team can't wait for the season to finally start and to start practice, get on with the games.
We have an unbelievable group of young men. We believe as a football team that coming into the season we are further along than almost every phase of our team, almost every position that we have been the last couple of years. So we're optimistic and excited about the potential of the upcoming season.
We had, I don't know, 17 or 18 freshmen that played last year. So we return a young but somewhat experienced football team. Again, feel like we've made some great progress and are excited to get on with the season.
We feel like we have potentially more firepower on offense, a little more firepower on defense, a little more firepower on special teams than we have had the last couple of years. We feel like we are a hungry football team, that if we can stay healthy and hang onto the football and take care of football, we can be very successful this upcoming season.
THE MODERATOR: Time for questions.

Q. Coach, I was curious, every single team in the Big Ten plays outdoors. The Big Ten has taken on this mentality that, We're tougher, play in the elements. What did you think of the idea that instead of playing in Chicago for the Big Ten championship, you're playing indoors in Indianapolis?
COACH HOPE: I like the idea we're playing indoors in Indianapolis because it's right down the road from West Lafayette. From a recruiting standpoint it makes a lot of sense. I think playing indoors is a comfortable climate, you can put two teams on the field and see what they really have.
I like the idea of the inaugural game being in Indianapolis. Glad it's indoors. If they want to play in the snow or in the desert, we're all for it. If we can go inside, in a good climate, that's a good idea, too.

Q. Coach, you have Rob Henry coming back who played quarterback a lot, you have Robert Marve who started at quarterback. What is the quarterback position situation going into training camp?
COACH HOPE: It's pretty good. It's the first time since I've been the head coach at Purdue that I went into spring ball with a quarterback that ever played in a ballgame, college football game. It's the first time since I've been the head coach at Purdue that we have a quarterback going into the fall that played in a college football game. We have two. They're both exceptional people, great team guys, very talented players.
Robert Marve is a special passer, runs well. It was unfortunate that he was injured last year because I think he was starting to get it together. His game was really beginning to come on. Unfortunately he was injured.
Rob Henry came onboard as our starting quarterback. He's a fantastic runner. Still developing some as a passer. But was really improving. It's unfortunate he sustained an injury. I was really proud how he finished the season directing our offense, becoming a great leader.
A lot of people talk about our quarterback situation saying if you don't have a starter, you don't have a quarterback. I disagree. We have two really good quarterbacks. Both of those guys are great players, great people, exceptionally talented, outstanding team players, and really want to win.
So we're in good shape at the quarterback position.
We also have a young man by the name of Caleb TerBush, who last year wasn't able to play. He had to dedicate more time to academics. He's been in the program three years. He's 6'6", about 230 pounds, he runs well and throws well.
Last year at this time, I thought we could play well at the quarterback position, even though we didn't have anyone coming back that had played in a college football game at Purdue. This year I'm really excited about the quarterback position because we have guys that have played and they've done well and won.
I think we're in a great situation from a quarterback situation for the first time since I've been a head coach at Purdue.

Q. There's so many new head coaches in the league this year. Can you recall kind of your first couple weeks on the job, particularly when you came down here, what that moment was like for you stepping in as the head coach and how you've grown from that a couple years ago?
COACH HOPE: I had been a head coach before. I was the head coach at Eastern Kentucky for five years, 40 years of consecutive winning seasons. I had been a head football coach before.
To be a Big Ten head football coach, to come down to a big-time media day like we had today, was really exciting. A lot of fun.
Coaching is coaching in laymen's terms. 11 guys on the field. The field is the same size regardless what level you're at. The same things that are important at winning at the FCS level are the same as the BCS level. Doesn't take long to get past the lights and excitement and get back to the coaching and football part.

Q. Last year obviously injuries played a huge part in what happened to your team. Did you do anything differently in your preparation and what is the health of your team right now?
COACH HOPE: We're in good shape from a health standpoint. Looking back at last year, it was tough in some ways because we had, again, 17 or 18 freshmen that played. We only had six seniors that played last year. We were probably the youngest football team in BCS football.
But looking back on last season, we competed very well. We certainly didn't win as many games as we would have liked to. But we played some of the best teams in the country right down to the wire.
We go into the season this year with a lot of experienced players, a lot of guys that played well last year. Looking back on last season, we felt like the 2010 season made us stronger and better prepared for this upcoming season.
We have hired a new director of sports performance, Duane Carlisle. He brought on an unbelievable staff of sports performance coaches. They've done an outstanding job of getting our team prepared for the upcoming season. A lot of emphasis has been on 'pre-hab,' techniques and drills can you do to minimize your chance for injury, also workouts and a plan to get our injured players back on the field. I think we're in good shape right now from a health standpoint.
I think Robert Marve is where Robert Marve needs to be with his ACL repair. Ralph Bolden will be back. He was one of the top players at his position two years ago. Outstanding runningback. He rushed for just a shade under a thousand yards. I think he caught about 300 yards of passes out of the backfield. Getting Ralph and Robert back will be huge for our football team.
A lot of guys that were banged up last year, young guys had their chances to come in and play, get some experience.
Again, I'll repeat myself, but I look back at 2010 and think it only served to make us a stronger football team and better-prepared football team for this upcoming season.

Q. Coach, is it tough for a transfer to come in at such an important position and take charge at the quarterback position in the Big Ten?
COACH HOPE: I think it depends on the guy. I don't know the new quarterback at Wisconsin, don't know a whole lot about him. I knew Robert Marve very well. He's a guy that has a tremendous passion for the game, a tremendous passion for his teammates. He's an outstanding team person. Very loyal to his coaches, loves to be around his teammates. It was an easy transition for Robert Marve. I don't know anything about the new quarterback at Wisconsin.

Q. Can you talk about what Carson Wiggs brings to your football team?
COACH HOPE: He brings a lot to our football team. I think he's the most exciting field goal kicker in all of football. He nails world record field goals on a regular basis in practice. If you look at other athletes that train, if they train at world record performance on a regular basis in practice, that's always a good sign. So I think Carson Wiggs is a special player.
He's also an outstanding punter at well. We had a true freshmen Cody Webster that ended up being a second team punter. Carson handled a lot of punting early in the season, a lot of sky punts when we tried to hem the opponent down inside. He was outstanding with the Australian punts, on-side kicks, field goals, outstanding long-ball hitter. I thought he made a lot of improvement with his kickoff.
We led the Big Ten last year in kickoff coverage. Obviously a lot of that had to do with the guys covering the kicks, but a lot had to do with Carson kicking some touch-backs and kicking the ball deep down inside where we had a chance to cover.
He's been one of our top leaders the last three years. He's an outstanding football player that's trapped with a kicker's leg. If he was a little bit bigger, wasn't such a good kicker, we'd probably move him to linebacker. He's a tough guy, a heck of a football player. He means a whole lot to our football team, football program, not only as a specialist, but also as one of our top leaders.

Q. You mentioned you have two good quarterbacks in Robert and Rob. How likely is it that you would use a two-quarterback system this fall?
COACH HOPE: It's very likely we'll use a two-quarterback system in the fall. We had some plans last year to utilize a two-quarterback system, especially with Rob Henry being new to the quarterback position. We felt like going into the season that Robert Marve was number one and Rob Henry was number two, it would give us a chance to get Rob Henry on the field some at the quarterback spot and some other positions as well.
To be quite frank, Rob Henry was too good of an athlete to be on the bench. We had a plan last year to utilize a two-quarterback system some. We have a plan to utilize at least a two-quarterback system some this year as well. It won't be the bread and butter of our offense, but something that has potential and a style of offense that we have the personal-of-personnel to execute. That will be part of the plan, absolutely.

Q. You obviously have your own preparations to deal with going into the Big Ten season and regular season. A lot of turnover going on with different coaches throughout the conference. With the new look and the new coaches throughout the Big Ten, any change in your preparation? What do you think of the alterations that have gone throughout the conference in general?
COACH HOPE: Coaches staff-wise I haven't paid a whole lot of attention to it. I'm always more focused on myself and my staff, our own team and our own players. That's what I have control over, what we have control over. That's where our focus is always at.
I like some of the changes that we've gone through in the Big Ten. I love the idea of Nebraska coming into the league. I think it certainly strengthens our football league. Outstanding football tradition, first-class operation. I've coached against Nebraska before. They're a first-class, big-time football outfit.
I'm excited about the divisions, The Legends and the Leaders. I think it gives every football team in the Big Ten one more opportunity to become a champion. If you're a football team in the Big Ten, you have a chance to be a national champion, a Rose Bowl champion, a division champion, or just another bowl champion. Anytime you have an opportunity to become a champion, I think that's huge for our football team and everybody else's team in the Big Ten. I think it's a big thing for us and very exciting.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.
COACH HOPE: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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