Linebackers reflect on significance of IU rivalry
>>Print ViewPublication Date: 11/20/2009
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Purdue and Indiana’s annual battle for the Old Oaken Bucket is a special game for all Purdue players, but a pair of Purdue’s linebackers take even more pride in one of college football’s oldest rivalries.
“It means a lot,” senior linebacker Jason Werner said. “Especially coming from where I grew up where there are a lot of IU fans. I’ve always been a Purdue fan and it’s always been split down the middle for both sides in my family. So, it’s a lot to me; I grew up around it; I’ve seen a lot of games and cheered Purdue through plenty of Bucket Games. So, to be a part of it, I have a lot of pride in that.”
But the senior from Greenwood is not alone in his passion for the rivalry. Sophomore linebacker Chris Carlino, a fellow Indiana native, recalls how big the game was to him growing up.
“It’s a huge game,” Carlino said. “Growing up in the state of Indiana, it’s something that anybody who follows football knows about, so it was a big deal to me.”
Though both linebackers grew up in the Hoosier state, each said putting on a Hoosier uniform was never really a serious option. Werner, Indiana’s Mr. Football from 2004, recalls getting his offer to play at Purdue a week after his offer from Indiana and just knowing he was going to be a Boilermaker. Carlino, on the other hand, did not grow up a die-hard Purdue fan but is still very pleased with his decision.
However, Purdue’s roster is made up of mostly out-of-state players who may not know as much about the historic rivalry between Purdue and Indiana. Werner does not believe this is a problem; the Bucket Game is the last of the season, giving the young out-of-state players plenty of time to learn to hate the Hoosiers.
“The good thing is, this game’s at the end of the season,” Werner said. “So they get to be around us and kind of understand how we feel about the rivalry. The coaches also do a good job of explaining it. You know, we have some veterans that have been around awhile for some big Bucket Games. We had a big one down there a couple of years ago, which wasn’t a good feeling, so I think they get the seriousness of it.”
Last season, Purdue was able to salvage a disappointing year by absolutely blasting the Hoosiers 62-10 and sending former coach Joe Tiller into retirement on a positive note. That game was also the first Carlino had been a part of and he recalls how special it was.
“It was very satisfying getting a win in my first Bucket Game,” Carlino said. “Especially through all the struggles we went through last year and everything else. It would be great to get it for this team this year with the way things have gone. It would be a big deal for everybody, the whole team, the whole campus, if we could get this win.”