Tom Allen Previews Purdue

On not needing to dig deep to find motivation for this game…

No, the players understand. They understand what's at stake. They understand what a huge game this is as The Bucket Game itself, but then you add to it the bowl ramifications for both programs and it intensifies the game for sure. Good focus so far, a good week of preparation must continue.

On how his understanding of the Old Oaken Bucket has changed over his three years at IU…

I think the intensity grows. The more familiar you are with, being a part of it now, you hear about it, you watch it from the outside-in and that's one thing being born and raised from the state how big it is. But now, you're living it. It's very personal. One-and-one in these games and just understanding how much this means to the individuals that are here now as a part of our University and all of our alumni across the country. We carry that intensity with us to this game.

On the weapons Purdue has on offense…

Very impressive. Good receivers, an excellent quarterback, running backs that run hard and two talented tight ends as well. They have a big offensive line that gives him time to throw and they run the ball well. They've done a good job this season creating a lot of points and making themselves difficult to stop because of their versatility.

On Purdue's defense…

They are very multiple. They give you lots of looks, they play very hard and are very well coached. I know they have new faces just like we do on defense, but the intensity is the same with how hard they play and they've done a good job. When you have new faces those guys are stepping into roles. This time of year, everybody's not new anymore. Those young guys now have a whole season under their belt, so you expect them to rise up and play well. Their defense is good.

Indiana University Athletics

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