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Friday, December 13, 2002
Time to play
By Tim Stratton
Special to BCSfootball.com
The first week of practice is out of the way, and let me tell you, it was rough. With no game last Saturday, the coaches felt we needed to work on our running game and they actually let us hit more than usual.
|  | | Tim Stratton and the Boilermakers open the season against Central Michigan on Sept. 2. |
As far as how the team is doing, we're just about fully recovered and our legs are getting back under us. Many of the guys, including myself, had what we call "camp legs" for a little while. "Camp legs" meant that we couldn't move our legs like we could normally.
The atmosphere around campus is really great. I hear students and professors alike talking about the upcoming season. It's really great to see many of the students wearing Purdue football shirts and hats.
Monday is our off-day, which many of my teammates use to chill out. That may sound odd that we have Monday off, but in our system, we practice on Sundays and have Mondays off. It makes the week feel like it flies.
Our practices are being cut down so as to save our legs and help us get ready for the game on Saturday with Central Michigan. Our usual practice time is cut down from two hours to about an hour and a half. With so much experience back, it makes no sense to be out there longer than that. The starters are pretty much set and the scout players know their role is to help the starters get ready for this week's game.
We went over the scouting report yesterday and it looks like the Chippewas have a strong defense returning. We're still not sure as to what kind of base defense they will be playing, but it won't take too long to figure that out on Saturday. Either way, we are preparing to face anything.
We're anxious for Saturday to come because playing at home in Ross-Ade Stadium is a great feeling. As for me, I'm also a long snapper for the team, so I have to be out there an hour before the game. While I'm snapping for the kickers, I also go over to the student section and talk with the students and play catch with the crowd. This is a lot of fun, and it helps me relax for the game. My mother also comes down from her seat to say hello and tells me where my family is sitting and gives me a kiss for good luck.
After that, I wait for the rest of the team to come out of the locker room and we stretch and get ready to play.
Stratton's Purdue Statistics
| Year |
Rec. |
Yards |
Average |
TD |
Long |
| 1998 |
38 |
381 |
10.0 |
7 |
29 |
| 1999 |
49 |
593 |
12.1 |
4 |
34 |
| Total |
87 |
974 |
11.2 |
11 |
34 |
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