Pride, bucket on the line in Bloomington
>>Print ViewPublication Date: 11/20/2009
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Saturday’s Bucket Game matchup is like a trip back to the schoolyard for Indiana coach Bill Lynch.
“This is a special week when you talk about the Bucket Game,” he said Tuesday. “As I was a kid growing up in Indianapolis ... you were either a Purdue or an IU fan. When you competed on the playground, you were either IU or Purdue.”
When the Boilers and Hoosiers take the field at Indiana’s Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Lynch said it won’t be the first time many of the athletes have faced each other. That’s what he likes about in-state rivalries.
“When you go through the roster, so many of these guys know each other,” he said. “We see all of these kids play in high school and know the recruiting process starts very early. Kids are making official visits together, going to camps and other things during the recruiting process.
“I am sure all of them made unofficial visits to IU and Purdue, and their families were with them so they know each other.”
As for the actual game, both Lynch and Purdue coach Danny Hope each talked of the tremendous amount of respect they have for their opponent, despite both teams having sub-.500 records.
The Hoosiers have competed in nearly every game this season and held a significant first-half lead against a majority of their opponents, such as ranked teams Iowa and Penn State.
“They’re a good football team,” Hope said. “They play very spirited. They play to win. They’ve been competitive in the second half of the season, so it should be a great matchup. I think it’s going to be a great game. I really do. It will be a great game.”
Adding to the competition is last year’s game, when Purdue dominated the Hoosiers in Ross-Ade Stadium in what some called the worst loss in the history of Indiana football.
Purdue won 62-10, giving the Boilers just their fourth win of the year. Purdue racked up nearly 600 yards of offense as it dominated Indiana on all facets of the game in coach Joe Tiller’s final game.
“We don’t have to talk about the game last year because anyone who was there remembers it,” Lynch said. “I think an important thing from a coaching standpoint in a game like this is that practice is the most important thing. If you bring in an emotional battle, then you are not going to have a great week of preparation.
“I think sometimes you get carried away with motivational tactics, and then you don’t spend enough time figuring out how you are going to stop their offense or how to move the ball against their defense.”
Purdue and Indiana will kick off at 3:30 p.m. in Bloomington, Ind. The game will be televised by the Big Ten Network.