Indiana (3-8) At Purdue (3-8)
FACTS & STATS: Site: Ross-Ade Stadium (67,332) -- West Lafayette, Indiana. Television:ESPN2. Home Record: Indiana 3-5, Purdue 3-3. Away Record: Indiana 0-3, Purdue 0-5. Neutral Record: Indiana 0-0, Purdue 0-0. Conference Record: Indiana 1-6, Purdue 1-6. Series Record: Purdue leads, 68-36-6. GAME NOTES: The Indiana Hoosiers and Purdue Boilermakers will close out their disappointing seasons in West Lafayette, as the Big Ten programs clash at Ross-Ade Stadium this weekend. The Hoosiers enter the weekend with just a 3-8 overall mark and an even worse 1-6 record in conference play. The team is currently riding a three-game slide, including a 34-7 setback at nationally- ranked Penn State last weekend. It marked Indiana's third loss in as many road games this season. As for Purdue, it too is just 3-8 overall and 1-6 within the Big Ten. The Boilermakers have dropped their last two outings, including a 22-17 defeat at Iowa this past weekend. This game will mark the end of an era, as head coach Joe Tiller is set to resign at the completion of the season. Tiller is the winningest football coach in Purdue history with 86 victories and he led the Boilermakers to 10 bowl games in 12 years. Saturday's game will also represent the 111th all-time meeting between Indiana and Purdue. The Boilermakers hold a 68-36-6 lead in the head-to-head series with the Hoosiers, and that includes a 54-26-3 edge since the teams began playing for the Old Oaken Bucket trophy in 1925. The Hoosiers managed only 180 total yards of offense, including just 57 through the air, as they were defeated 34-7 at Penn State this past weekend. It was certainly a poor showing for Indiana, which is producing a much better 360.4 total ypg on the year. Marcus Thigpen led Indiana in the loss with 72 yards and a touchdown on just eight carries. On the season, Thigpen leads the team with 578 yards and seven touchdowns and he is averaging a hardy 6.9 yards per carry. Quarterback Kellen Lewis added 34 yards on the ground last weekend, but he threw for just 57 yards and an interception. Despite battling injuries this season and missing some time, Lewis still ranks second on the team with 452 rushing yards. He has also thrown for 1,039 yards, but with five scores against six interceptions. Ray Fisher has been a consistent target downfield, and he paces Indiana with 30 catches and four receiving touchdowns. Indiana forced three turnovers last weekend, but that did very little to slow down Penn State, which racked up 442 total yards. Despite recording 22 takeaways this season, the Hoosiers have been exploited on defense, allowing 32.8 ppg and 417.3 total ypg. The defense really struggled against the run, yielding 176.6 ypg and 27 touchdowns on the ground. Last weekend, the Hoosiers were torched for 184 yards by Penn State's ground attack. Jammie Kirlew guided the squad in defeat with 11 tackles and a forced fumble, while Ryan Marando had a forced fumble and two of the team's three sacks. Kirlew has been one of the few bright spots for the defense this season, as he leads the team with 10.5 sacks and 18.5 TFLs. Purdue totaled 337 yards of offense this past weekend, but came up just short in a 22-17 loss to Iowa. The Boilermakers, who are averaging 354.3 total ypg on the season, gained 251 of their yards through the air in the loss. Curtis Painter threw for 190 of those yards on 24-of-30 pass attempts and he had two touchdowns and one interception. It was as solid showing for Painter, who has had a disappointing campaign, passing for only eight scores against 11 interceptions. Desmond Tardy hauled in 13 passes for 131 yards and a score in the loss last weekend, while Greg Orton finished with 10 catches for 76 yards and a touchdown. The tandem have enjoyed a productive year and have combined for 126 catches, 1,450 yards and eight touchdowns. Another player that has had some good success is tailback Kory Sheets, who has rushed for 1,070 yards and 13 touchdowns. Sheets can also be a factor in the passing game, ranking fourth on the team with 33 catches. The Boilermakers simply could not slow down Iowa's ground assault last weekend, allowing 248 rushing yards on a 6.5 yard per carry average. On the year, Purdue is giving up 371.2 total ypg, with 179.6 of those ypg coming on the ground. On a positive note, the Boilermakers did hold Iowa to just 72 passing yards, while also forcing a pair of turnovers. Brandon King led the squad in the loss with eight stops and a forced and recovered fumble, while Ryan Kerrigan notched the same amount of tackles and the club's lone sack. Kerrigan has provided the club with a solid pass rush all season and he paces Purdue with 10 TFLs and seven sacks. With this being Tiller's last game at Purdue, go with the Boilermakers since they will come out fired up and ready to produce. Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Purdue 31, Indiana 17Saturday, November 22nd, 12:00 p.m. (et)
Copyright 2008 Courtesy of The Sports Network.






