Brawl for the Bucket

In more ways than one, Saturday's game between the Hoosiers and No. 17 Purdue at Ross-Ade Stadium will be a matchup between two teams that are polar opposites. They play different styles of football. One team might be headed for the Rose Bowl, while the other is set to close another disappointing season.\nThe Boilermakers, behind the strength of senior quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Drew Brees, boast the fourth-best passing attack in the nation. Senior receiver Vinny Sutherland leads a trio of receivers who have each caught at least 50 balls.\nUnfortunately for the Hoosiers, IU has the statistically worst pass defense in the nation. The Hoosiers will be helped by the return of junior cornerback Sharrod Wallace, who should be back to his regular form after playing hurt against Wisconsin last week.\nWhile the Boilermakers (7-3, 5-2 Big Ten) will win or lose the game through the air, the Hoosiers (3-7, 2-5) will rely on the feet of junior quarterback Antwaan Randle El. Behind the option attack, IU is ranked fifth nationally in rushing with nearly 273 yards on the ground per game. Randle El is averaging 115.8 rushing yards per game.\nJunior running back Levron Williams, who hasn't played since pulling a groin at Illinois, will be a game time decision. If Williams can't go, freshman Brian Lewis, who ran well against the Badgers, will get the call.\nPurdue coach Joe Tiller said he is afraid of what Randle El and the Hoosiers' ground attack is capable of doing. Tiller has all the more reason to be afraid, after the Boilermakers allowed Michigan State to run them over with the option in their 30-10 loss in East Lansing last Saturday.\n"In the Big Ten Conference, no one executes (the option) better than Randle El does at IU," Tiller said. "Obviously, we're burning the midnight oil, and it's something we're hoping to get our team up to speed with."\nTiller said he thinks last week's performance by Purdue at Michigan State will make the Hoosiers even more inclined to use the option.\n"If you show a weakness in any area of the game, your opponents are going to continue to attack that until you prove that you've shored up the problem," Tiller said. "That's true of our alignments and what we're doing defensively."\nCoach Cam Cameron said he doesn't think the Boilermakers showed their best defense last weekend. Instead, Cameron thinks Purdue will come out and play much better.\n"I don't think their performance against Michigan State was really characteristic of them, either offensively or defensively," Cameron said. "Obviously, (the option) is one of our base plays, and we're going to run it no matter who we're playing."\nAlthough Purdue might have struggled with the option in the past, Cameron said he knows it will take more than just one offensive scheme to win.\n"You're not going to go beat anyone, especially a good football team, by just doing one thing," Cameron said.\nThe Hoosiers' offense will be playing against a very young defense that has matured quickly and played well in stretches. Freshman safety Stuart Schweigert leads the Boilermakers in tackles and junior linebacker Akin Ayodele leads the team with eight sacks.\nThe other main difference between the two teams is what this game means. The Hoosiers have stumbled throughout the year, losing five of their last six. \nPurdue, in their fourth year under Tiller, has finally joined the Big Ten elite. A win Saturday clinches a trip to Pasadena and the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1967.\nThe Hoosiers could easily go into the game with the idea of playing the spoiler. If the Boilermakers lose, there is no way they could go to the Rose Bowl. Still, Cameron is more interested in getting back the Old Oaken Bucket, the trophy given to the winner each year. \nPurdue has held onto the bucket the past three years, winning in Bloomington last year, 34-31. The Boilermakers lead the bucket series 48-24-3 and the overall series 62-34-6.\n"We're going in there playing for the bucket, for the rivalry in the state and those type of things," Cameron said. \nFor senior defensive lineman Paul Mandina, this will be his last game at IU. As a captain, he said he has prepared his team to play Saturday. \n"We as captains, we've done a lot of motivating and trying to get people moving in the right direction," Mandina said. "But I don't think anything (else) needs to be said"