More: Work done in summer but more to be done

Justin Lovett had an obvious indicator when Purdue's summer conditioning workouts were pushing players to the point of breaking: When he saw a handful of guys bending over, exhausted.

That's because those guys — like upperclassmen Ja'Whaun Bentley, David Blough, Danny Ezechukwu, Da'Wan Hunte and D.J. Knox, to name a few — consistently were workout warriors.

In a summer that stretched players outside their comfort zones in terms of getting faster, stronger and better-conditioned — they were running four days a week by the end of the program —director of football strength and conditioning Lovett saw a group of players emerge as what he called "most improved."