IU vs. Purdue Bucket Game

Junior cornerback Tracy Porter, born and raised in Louisiana, didn't know a thing about the Old Oaken Bucket. When he enrolled at IU and joined the football team in 2004, he didn't see what the big deal was.\n"You'd just see everyone around the campus and at practice talking about 'it's a big rivalry.' They go on and on," Porter said. "And I was like, I don't see the big deal about it. But after playing my first time against them (Purdue) last year I understand what they mean when they say it's a big game."\nSenior center Justin Frye, on the other hand, has known the importance of the IU-Purdue rivalry practically since he was born.\nFrye went to some Bucket games with his father and grew up in central Indiana, so unlike Porter, he has always understood the game's significance in the state.\n"It's the game in Indiana. You talk to the guys up there, there's always been something special," Frye said. "I went to a couple (Bucket) games with my dad and always knew it was something big because in my household we didn't like Purdue."\nThe Old Oaken Bucket is always a big game, but this year's matchup is even bigger. IU has failed to clinch a bowl bid the last two weeks, losing to Minnesota and Michigan. This week is the team's final chance to pick up that elusive sixth win. \nPurdue (7-4, 6-3 Big Ten) clinched its bowl bid last week with a 42-31 win against Illinois. The Boilermakers trailed 23-14 early in the second half but scored four touchdowns in the last two quarters to lock the victory.\nSophomore quarterback Curtis Painter leads coach Joe Tiller's pass-heavy offense with 3,102 passing yards, fourth in the nation, and 16 touchdowns. Painter is seventh in the country in passing yards per game, averaging 282.\n"Their offense is playing like a typical Joe Tiller offense. Curtis Painter does a great job running the offense -- not just throwing the ball, but running the offense," IU coach Terry Hoeppner said at a press conference Tuesday. "He is the hub of the wheel, and everything rotates around him, and he is playing very well right now."\nWide receiver Dorien Bryant is Painter's favorite target, leading the team in receptions (66), yards (817) and receiving touchdowns (6).\nIn order for the Hoosiers (5-6, 3-4 Big Ten) to lock up a bowl bid for the first time in 13 years and win the Old Oaken Bucket for the first time since 2001, the secondary will have to regain the form it had in IU's win against Michigan State three weeks ago. \nThe secondary gave up four passing touchdowns of 20 yards or more against Minnesota and Michigan combined and allowed other big plays that led to scores.\nAgainst a Purdue offense that ranks sixth nationally in passing offense, it will be important to keep big plays to a minimum, Porter said. \n"They have a real run-and-gun offense," Porter said. "It's a real complex offense, so you have to pay attention to the keys that they give you."\nIU will step onto the field for possibly the final time this season at Ross-Ade Stadium for a noon kickoff with a lot on the line -- a fact that is definitely not lost on the players, especially the seniors.\n"It's very important," Frye said. "To leave school with the Bucket, with the (Old Brass) Spittoon, with a bowl bid -- that's kind of a trifecta right there"