Hoosiers seek to reclaim Old Oaken Bucket from Purdue

By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Assistant Editor

Opponent: Purdue Boilermakers (1-10)

When: 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium

Purdue coach Darrell Hazell readily admits this is more than just a game. Indiana players led a “Beat Purdue!” chant at a basketball game Tuesday night.

Safety Greg Heban is playing the final game of his career Saturday. Photo by Chris Goff.
Safety Greg Heban is playing the final game of his career Saturday. Photo by Chris Goff.

Because this is a rivalry clash, nobody’s playing out the string. It could still be a downer emotionally. The Boilermakers are down because of their cratering under a new regime, losing an uncharacteristic nine straight games. The Hoosiers are down because they are 4-7 and have underachieved.

This season finale is about bragging rights and seniors going out on top. Twenty-one Hoosiers are playing their final game. Purdue has 21 seniors. Next summer, the Big Ten will realign its divisions, and Purdue and Indiana will split from the Leaders. They’ll still meet each season, however, as the conference wisely made a special exception.

For both schools, this game is the end of the line in 2013. It is their bowl game, even if they’d prefer playing in a real one.

Three players to watch

Purdue coach Darrell Hazell watches as Akeem Hunt (1 in black) tries to avoid Notre Dame's Louis Nix III (No. 1 in white).
Purdue coach Darrell Hazell watches as Akeem Hunt (1 in black) tries to avoid Notre Dame’s Louis Nix III (No. 1 in white).

Akeem Hunt, RB: This week’s version of Fitzgerald Toussaint or Jeremy Langford, a so-so back licking his chops against the Indiana defense. A week ago Hunt rushed for 102 yards against Illinois, and three weeks ago he caught seven passes for 63 yards. He’s averaging a decent 3.8 yards per carry and 9.2 yards per reception. He’s capable of hurting the Hoosiers in multiple ways.

Ricardo Allen, CB: One of the strongest parts on a struggling defense, Allen has 11 interceptions, second most in Purdue history, and a school-record four interception returns for touchdowns. The senior from Florida will try to end his career with another defensive score. The Boilermakers forced four turnovers last week in a loss to Illinois.

Danny Etling, QB: Obviously, Etling’s ascension as a true freshman has offered Purdue fans something encouraging to take away from this miserable season. In seven games, he has thrown for 1,205 yards with six touchdowns and seven interceptions. Etling’s arm strength will challenge the Indiana secondary. He is completing 53.2 percent of his passes despite getting sacked four times a game.

Series history

The Boilermakers lead 72-37-6, with Purdue winning four of the past five and nine of the past 11. Purdue also has won four of the past five games played at Memorial Stadium, losing only in 2007. Last year’s game was a wild contest that included the most combined points in series history, five turnovers, 13 penalties and 1,070 total yards. The Boilermakers won 56-35. Saturday’s contest will be the 89th played for the Old Oaken Bucket, a trophy found on a farm in southern Indiana. It is around 175 years old. Purdue has won the Bucket 58 times, Indiana 27. There have been three ties. The schools have met annually since 1920.

Familiar faces

Purdue fields 28 players from the state of Indiana, while 50 Hoosiers are homegrown. Players on both sides and fans all around the state will see and hear names that ring a bell. Boilermakers defensive backs coach Jon Heacock was Indiana’s defensive coordinator from 1997 to 1999.

Injury report

After missing two games, starting running back Tevin Coleman (ankle sprain) is still doubtful. Reserve guard Jacob Bailey (chipped bone in knee) is questionable. Linebacker Steven Funderburk (back disc) is out and linebacker Griffen Dahlstrom (torn groin) is questionable after missing six weeks. Part-time safety Antonio Allen (torn anterior cruciate ligament) is out. The starting right side of the offensive line – Dan Feeney (Lisfranc) and Peyton Eckert (back) – is sidelined. Reserve offensive lineman David Kaminski (torn ACL) and linebacker Chase Hoobler (stress fracture) also will not play. As for Purdue, wide receiver DeAngelo Yancey (hamstring) is questionable, as is starting linebacker Sean Robinson (concussion). Starting tight end Gabe Holmes (wrist) will miss his 10th straight game. Reserve receiver Jordan Woods is suspended indefinitely after an arrest on charges of theft.

Trivial

Four Hoosiers have at least 100 catches and 1,000 yards receiving to their career resumes. No other team in the Football Bowl Subdivision currently has that many. The last Big Ten team to have at least four was the 2008 Northwestern Wildcats. Only two of Indiana’s fabulous four – tight end Ted Bolser and wideout Kofi Hughes – are seniors. Receivers Shane Wynn and Cody Latimer have eligibility remaining. Taking Indiana’s receiving prowess a step further, senior wideout Duwyce Wilson has 1,068 yards, making this team the first in Big Ten history to have five 1,000-yard receivers playing together at the same time.

He said it

“We haven’t had that great of a season, but people say, ‘It’s OK, beat IU, keep the Bucket.’ It’s the biggest game on our schedule. Always has been. Always will be.” – Purdue defensive end Greg Latta, to the Lafayette Journal and Courier, on how winning Saturday’s game against Indiana can remove the sting of a lost year

Outlook

It’s the Bucket game, and even though Purdue has stunk this season, they have a lot of prideful players in a rivalry setting. On paper, the Hoosiers are heavy favorites. But it’s not like the Hoosiers are a great home team. They lost to Navy and Minnesota at home, and they had to come from behind in the second half to beat lowly Illinois. The Hoosiers are out of the postseason, but they’d like to finish the year at 5-7. The Hoosiers offense has been very good this season. It ranks second in the Big Ten, averaging 491.8 yards a game. Nate Sudfeld has 21 touchdown passes and a 141.7 quarterback rating. He’s averaging 7.8 yards an attempt. As a team, the Hoosiers average 36.8 points a game. Defensively, each team has major problems. The Hoosiers rank 122nd on defense, giving up 529 yards a game. They’ve allowed 20 touchdown passes and their secondary is giving up 272.5 yards a game. But the Boilermakers may be unable to take advantage thanks to an offense that isn’t getting the job done. The Boilermakers are only scoring 13 points a game and rank 123rd on offense. They have a chance to conclude an 0-5 road record with this game and are 1-10 for the season. The pressure is on the Hoosiers. If they lose to the woeful Boilermakers on Saturday, fans might not forgive third-year coach Kevin Wilson. The Hoosiers have no reason to lose to Purdue.

Follow Chris Goff on Twitter: chrisgoff_ISL.

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