IU, Purdue renew gridiron rivalry

It’s now or never, and it cannot be put any simpler than that.\nOne win and the Hoosiers (6-5, 2-5) are (most likely) in. A loss to Purdue (7-4, 3-4) this weekend, and the program’s chances of playing in its first bowl game since 1993 fall into deeper doubt.\nAfter surviving the loss of their head coach, the Hoosiers want to fulfill Terry Hoeppner’s final wish for the program, known for its perennial mediocrity.\n“Obviously we want to play in a bowl game,” said senior fullback Josiah Sears. “There is no question that that is something that needs to happen for this school and this program, because it hasn’t happened for a long time. There is no question that we have to win the game on Saturday to make that happen.”\nEven though the Boilermakers are winners in only two of their last six games, the Hoosiers will have to defend the formidable duo of quarterback Curtis Painter and wide receiver Dorien Bryant – one of the best passing duos in the conference.\nPainter leads the Big Ten in touchdowns (25) and Bryant leads the conference in receptions (73). Like junior wide receiver James Hardy, Bryant is a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist.\n“I mean if you want to put it simply, we just can’t let them catch the ball,” said senior cornerback Tracy Porter.\nThat logic failed at Northwestern last week. The Hoosiers allowed quarterback C.J. Bacher to throw for 276 yards and the go-ahead touchdown with 44 seconds remaining.\nForcing the Hoosiers to wait one more week for the chance to make a bowl game made the ride home last week a little longer than normal.\n“All you had to do was sit there in the dark and silence and think about what you could’ve done differently,” Sears said. “‘Why didn’t we do this? Why didn’t I make that play? Why didn’t I make that tackle?’”\nOne of the contributing factors that led to the Hoosiers 1-4 record in the second half of the season is the number of turnovers. During that stretch, IU fumbled the football 16 times.\n“At this point of the year, it’s all mental,” Hardy said. “We know we’ve got to come in and hold on to the ball.”\nOf course, the Old Oaken Bucket is at stake this weekend too. But like last year, bringing home the bucket comes second to getting a win and ending IU’s bowl drought.\nThat still doesn’t stop Sears from revealing his dislike for Purdue.\n“I’m from Indiana, and I’ve grown up an Indiana fan, and I’ve grown up a not-Purdue fan my whole life,” Sears said. “I don’t like to use the word hate, but I’m not a fan of that school, and I’ll tell my teammates prior to the game, but they’re going to get the absolute best game I’ve ever played in my life.”\nNow the Hoosiers have the chance to prove they’re not what so many people say about them – that they’re a program devoid of the ability to reach a bowl game.\nWith two hungry teams playing in arguably their most important games of the year, getting to game number 13 will not be the easiest of tasks.\n“Regardless of the outcome, there is great intensity to it,” IU coach Bill Lynch said of the rivalry. “And this year there is a lot riding on it for both teams, so that makes it that much better and fun to get prepared for.”