Middleton boasts extra incentive in battle for Old Oaken Bucket

Sophomore defensive end Greg Middleton has made a habit of giving opposing head coaches fits with his knack for sacking their quarterbacks. Darting past offensive linemen and forcing the quarterback to the ground is Middleton’s job – one he does well. His 13.5 sacks this season are currently second in the nation. \nBut when he plays against Purdue and Boilermaker coach Joe Tiller on Saturday, Middleton might have some extra motivation to wreak havoc in the backfield.\nMiddleton verbally committed to play for the Boilermakers while in high school. But after learning that they intended to switch him from defensive end to defensive tackle – and after making a visit to IU’s campus – Middleton revoked his Purdue commitment and signed on to become a Hoosier. \nThe decision came much to the chagrin of Tiller, who Middleton said spoke negatively about him on the radio after he changed his mind. \nAt his weekly teleconference, Tiller recalled the recruitment of Middleton and applauded his sack total this year.\n“We thought he was coming,” Tiller said. “He fell in love with the IU environment and decided that’s where he wanted to go to school. He’s had a heck of a year.”\nWhile Tiller complimented Middleton’s accomplishments this season, he refused to rehash or discuss the verbal jabs directed at Middleton after the sophomore didn’t go to Purdue.\n“That is old news,” Tiller said.\nMiddleton echoed the sentiments of Tiller, saying that while he still is looking forward to showing the Boilermakers what he’s capable of, what happened between him and Tiller is in the past.\n“It’s over and done with,” Middleton said. “I’m here at Indiana having a good time, playing football and doing what I love to do. He’s there doing what he does.”\nMiddleton quickly shifted his focus to Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter, who along with IU quarterback Kellen Lewis, is tied for the conference lead with 25 touchdown passes.\n“He’s pretty good, but just like any quarterback, you hit him a little bit (he’ll) buckle,” Middleton said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to get a lot of shots on him.”\nSenior cornerback and team captain Tracy Porter said he hasn’t talked to Middleton about his emotions heading into the game, but said if Middleton still has bad feelings toward the Boilermakers and their coach, it will serve him well leading up to the game Saturday.\n“If he does have turmoil, if he does have a bad feeling about what happened, I can completely understand where he’s coming from,” Porter said. “I definitely know that’s added motivation for him to get into the film room and go as hard as he can in practice.”