By Blake Dowson
Purdue head football coach Darrell Hazell spoke to members of the media at Big Ten Media Days about the upcoming 2016-17 season.
- Opened up his statements by extended his thoughts to Nebraska and Michigan State
- Hazell on where the program is at- “Purdue is three years in the making, excited to be where we’re at.”
- Talked about a sign close to Purdue’s campus- “Sign along I-65 says ‘The train is coming’ at some point, the train has to arrive.”
- Open up camp August 3, excited to get going
- On what he needs to see from O-line- “It all starts with the 0-line, them playing with unity. Two experienced guards, and a brand new center that we’re excited about.”
- “Protecting the quarterback is the No. 1 thing for us.”
- On the quarterback battle- “David is ahead in the quarterback battle. Both players are playing with confidence, will be awhile until we make a decision.”
- Able to get to this position by doing well in recruiting.
- Praised Jake Replogle multiple times for his motor, said he can play anywhere in the country.
- On morale- “Our morale is off the chart right now. We’re ready to go. Our morale will boost the rest of Boilermaker nation.”
- On LB Ja’Whaun Bentley- “It’s great to get Ja’Whaun Bentley back. When we lost him last year, we lost a lot. The biggest thing we lost was his leadership.”
- On the schedule- “September is a huge month for us before the Big Ten season.”