IU takes road to Oaken Bucket

Hollywood could not have written a better script. \nThe IU football team needs just one win to become bowl-eligible for the first time in 13 years. The road to that sixth win goes through Purdue's Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette.\n"This is what you dream about," senior safety Will Meyers said. "You practice, and you work hard for games like this. Without a doubt, this is what you play for."\nAlong with the possibility of clinching a bowl berth, the Hoosiers will be looking to claim their first win against in-state rival Purdue since 2001, a 13-7 win at Memorial Stadium.\nFor the IU seniors, Saturday's regular season finale will be their last chance to claim the Old Oaken Bucket with IU losing the past four contests against the Boilermakers. The significance of winning the Bucket and playing in a bowl is not lost on the senior class.\n"That (beating Purdue) was one of my goals even before bowls because we haven't done it since I've been here," fifth-year senior quarterback Graeme McFarland said. "To be able to walk away with a win would be great."\nThe Oaken Bucket has gone to the annual victor of the IU-versus-Purdue game since 1925. Each year's winner attaches a small link with an "I" or a "P." Attached to the bucket's handle is a linked I-P from the first Bucket game, a 0-0 tie at the original Memorial Stadium.\nPurdue holds the all-time edge 53-25 since the 1925 matchup. The Boilermakers have dominated the series of late, winning 10 of 15 games since 1991.\nJust the thought of hoisting up the Oaken Bucket is enough to give the IU seniors goosebumps.\n"I got chills last night thinking about it," senior linebacker Jake Powers said. "Ever since I walked off the field (Saturday) night, it's been kind of weird (thinking about it)."\nWhile Powers -- a Danville native -- grew up in Indiana knowing how big a rivalry IU-Purdue is for players and fans alike, many out-of-state players received a crash course upon arriving in Bloomington as freshmen. \n"It really hit me that first year we played up there," said McFarland, a native of Birmingham, Ala. "We were right in front of their student section and just the things they were saying and throwing stuff. They threw something at coach (Gerry) DiNardo one time. It didn't take too long to figure it out."\nFor a rivalry that does not need any added fuel, IU is expecting Ross-Ade Stadium to be as hostile as any stadium it has played in this season. \n"They know that this game means the Bucket to us, but it's also a bowl game," McFarland said.\nWith the threat of their last game with IU on the horizon, the Hoosier seniors would not have it any other way than going against Purdue needing a win for the Oaken Bucket, but on a bigger level: bowl eligibility.\n"It's set up where, if you win, you keep playing. If you lose, you're done," Meyers said. "As a senior, it could be your last game, so there's no bigger challenge than I've ever faced"