Indiana Determined on Keeping Old Oaken Bucket in Bloomington
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Jack Tuttle isn't afraid to say he doesn't like Purdue University very much.
Tuttle's dad, who played special teams at Indiana, was a part of this rivalry for a couple of years, so Tuttle is very familiar with it.
"My dad is not a big fan of Purdue and neither am I," Tuttle said. "It is a great rivalry game and we are looking forward to this week. We are going to have a great week of practice."
For head coach Tom Allen, this week is personal to him. He grew up in Indiana, and he's used to always watching this game on TV the week after Thanksgiving.
This season, the game comes two weeks later, but it doesn't change how much it means to the Hoosiers.
"Some of my family is predominantly Purdue, and some of it is predominantly Indiana," Allen said. "It's personal, as all in-state rivalries are."
Indiana is ranked eighth in the nation and is heading into the game 6-1 while Purdue is just 2-4 and on a four-game losing streak.
On paper, the Hoosiers will be favored in this one, but Allen said when these two teams play one another, the records are thrown out the window.
Just look at last year's game as an example, Indiana had the much better record and was expected to win, but the Hoosiers needed double overtime to outlast the Boilermakers 44-41.
"We are playing for a trophy, we know it is going to be a tremendously difficult battle on game day against a very good Purdue football team, which we know is going to take our very, very best," Allen said.
Indiana defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said Purdue is going to throw the "kitchen sink" at them.
It doesn't matter how much Purdue has struggled the last couple of weeks or how many players recently opted out, the black and gold want nothing more than to take down the cream and crimson.
Allen knows that, and on Monday, he said he just finished up giving his players a pretty fiery speech about the preparation for this week.
For Indiana, it all starts with the preparation, so that come Saturday, the Hoosiers will be fully ready and hell bent to defeat Purdue and maintain possession of the Old Oaken Bucket.
"A lot of respect for them and their staff and what they do," Allen said. "And know that our guys are going to have to have a great week of preparation, and be very, very diligent in our pursuit of keeping the Oaken Bucket."
Related Stories:
- TUTTLE SHOWS TOUGHNESS IN FIRST START: Indiana QB Jack Tuttle had an impressive showing against Wisconsin, defined by his toughness. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA RANKED NO. 8 IN AP POLL: The Hoosiers jumped two spots after defeating Wisconsin on Saturday. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA KEEPS PROVING DOUBTERS WRONG: Tom Brew writes how the Hoosiers continue to prove everybody wrong this season. CLICK HERE
- OLD OAKEN BUCKET GAME TIME SET: For the channel, date and time for Indiana versus Purdue this Saturday. CLICK HERE
