Leading Tackler Recovers From Sack

He’s intelligent enough to play free safety as if he had done it all his life and to have led the Boilermakers with 75 tackles as a freshman.

But Stuart Schweigert is still immature enough to have been among five players cited for underage drinking in West Lafayette, Ind., two weeks ago.

Arrangements are in place for him to pay his penance with community service. And Schweigert, whose blood-alcohol level was below the legal limit of .10 when he was cited, is remorseful.

“It was a mistake. I’m still 19 years old and a freshman,” he said Thursday. “I’ve still got a lot to learn.”

A high school 100-meter dash champion, the 6-foot-3, 194-pound native of Saginaw, Mich., was hotly recruited by a dozen schools. He could have been a quarterback or receiver at Michigan State, Nebraska or Notre Dame, but he was impressed by Purdue Coach Joe Tiller and the coaching staff.

“Purdue didn’t give me any BS when they were recruiting me. Everything they told me was true, and I took that to heart,” said Schweigert, who became a starter in the fourth game, Purdue’s Big Ten opener against Minnesota.

“I wanted to get onto the field as quickly as possible, and I knew I had a better chance coming in on defense. Down the road, maybe, I can become a receiver. But right now, I’m happy with defense and I want to learn everything about it. I’ve grown to love defense more. If maybe I wasn’t playing as much, offense would be my first love.”

Schweigert made five interceptions and broke up 10 passes; he might have accomplished more if not for a cast that protected the thumb he broke last fall. “He brings an uncanny ability to tackle in the open field,” Tiller said. “If you ask me what one characteristic he brought this team, it’s that we have a guy back there who’s like a vacuum cleaner. He gets everything.”

If Schweigert learns from his “mistake,” his potential is enormous. “He’s a young guy, and he’s got some growing,” Tiller said, “but he’s a smart guy, and he should make some better decisions in the future.”

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Tiller was satisfied with his team’s intensity during its Coliseum practice. He will be shortening practices today. “We’re about halfway there,” he said. “We’re on schedule.” . . . The Purdue and Washington marching bands will participate in a “battle of the bands” Sunday at the Santa Monica Pier from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.