Saturday, November 27
West Lafayette, Ind.
3:30 PM
Indiana University
at
Purdue
‘Biggest Blessing’ – IU Seniors Ready for Final Oaken Bucket Game
11/26/2021 9:00:00 AM | Football
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – For Peyton Hendershot, Saturday's Old Oaken Bucket Game at Purdue comes down to this:
"It is personal and it is passionate," Indiana's fifth-year senior tight end says.
Yes, the Hoosiers are 2-9 compared to the Boilers' 7-4 mark.
That's as relevant as the wishbone offense.
On Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium, it's all about beating Purdue and keeping the Bucket, the symbol for the rivalry, for a third-straight year.
"It would mean so much," senior linebacker Micah McFadden says. "Keeping The Bucket here would turn the tide for our season and the feeling to finish it off the right way. It would change the vibe of the season."
In case any Hoosier missed that message, Mark Deal set them straight. He's Indiana's assistant athletic director for alumni relations who met with the team this week.
"He did a great job talking about it," Hendershot says.
No one lives and breathes the Old Oaken Bucket rivalry, or wants to beat Purdue, more than Deal, a former Hoosier player and assistant coach, Varsity Club assistant development director, and more.
His brother, Mike, was on the 1967 Rose Bowl team. His father, Russ, was on the 1945 unbeaten Big Ten title team.
Deal made it clear Saturday's game at Ross-Ade Stadium has nothing to do with records and everything to do with pride, poise, and purpose.
Hendershot understands that as well as anyone.
"It has to be personal to you," he says. "For me, it's real personal."
Hendershot was once an all-state player out of Tri-West High School in Indiana recruited hard by Indiana and Purdue. Boiler coach Jeff Brohm made a big pitch for him, even though Hendershot had already committed to the Hoosiers.
"Being from Indiana," Hendershot says, "there was no way I could (de-commit) from Indiana. I shut down Purdue immediately and stayed with Indiana."
His Cream & Crimson roots run deep.
"My mom's whole family is from Indiana and, really, just growing up ever since I was younger (I was an Indiana fan)."
That attraction intensified because he was also a standout basketball player fully engaged in Hoosier tradition.
"Everybody loved IU basketball, so I was always an Indiana Hoosier."
Then there's senior linebacker Cam Jones, who came from Tennessee and learned quickly why beating Purdue is so important.
Memories run deep for him, and go beyond victories and bowl appearances.
He remembers a snowy night his first year with the Hoosiers. He, McFadden, and fellow defensive players Aaron Casey and James Miller were working out at Mellencamp Pavilion.
"It was our first snow," he says, "and we got snowed in.
"We were working out on a Friday night, maybe 10 o'clock or 11 o'clock. We had to walk backwards (so we didn't fall in the snow).
"We were parked (outside the north end zone) at the stadium and we just lived across the street, but we couldn't even drive.
"I remember nights like those that we were just grinding. The long nights that nobody knows about."
Spending them with a player such as McFadden, an All-America, mattered most.
"It has been amazing," Jones says. "Just the type of guy he is and how he carries himself, the energy he brings, the leadership he brings, has been amazing.
"It's been a long ride. I remember when we first walked in here. We were so young. We were like, 'What are we going to eat today?' Now, it is like we are gearing up for the next game.
"It has been amazing. I love that guy. It is a brotherhood that will last forever."
Adds McFadden: "That's my brother right there. I enjoy being around him. I enjoy waking up every day, coming to practice and getting to play with that guy."
As for Hendershot, he will leave as the program's career tight end leader in receptions (130) and yardage (1,428), and is one touchdown catch away from matching Ted Bolser's record of 15.
Despite this challenging season, he says he has no regrets.
"I would do it all again. Every day, I would choose to be an Indiana Hoosier again.
"I have met so many people here. It has been the biggest blessing ever. I never thought I would be a team captain. That has been one of the biggest things for me.
"The season didn't go how we wanted it to, but the bonds and the relationships you have built with all of your brothers is what this program is all about."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – For Peyton Hendershot, Saturday's Old Oaken Bucket Game at Purdue comes down to this:
"It is personal and it is passionate," Indiana's fifth-year senior tight end says.
Yes, the Hoosiers are 2-9 compared to the Boilers' 7-4 mark.
That's as relevant as the wishbone offense.
On Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium, it's all about beating Purdue and keeping the Bucket, the symbol for the rivalry, for a third-straight year.
"It would mean so much," senior linebacker Micah McFadden says. "Keeping The Bucket here would turn the tide for our season and the feeling to finish it off the right way. It would change the vibe of the season."
In case any Hoosier missed that message, Mark Deal set them straight. He's Indiana's assistant athletic director for alumni relations who met with the team this week.
"He did a great job talking about it," Hendershot says.
No one lives and breathes the Old Oaken Bucket rivalry, or wants to beat Purdue, more than Deal, a former Hoosier player and assistant coach, Varsity Club assistant development director, and more.
His brother, Mike, was on the 1967 Rose Bowl team. His father, Russ, was on the 1945 unbeaten Big Ten title team.
Deal made it clear Saturday's game at Ross-Ade Stadium has nothing to do with records and everything to do with pride, poise, and purpose.
Hendershot understands that as well as anyone.
"It has to be personal to you," he says. "For me, it's real personal."
Hendershot was once an all-state player out of Tri-West High School in Indiana recruited hard by Indiana and Purdue. Boiler coach Jeff Brohm made a big pitch for him, even though Hendershot had already committed to the Hoosiers.
"Being from Indiana," Hendershot says, "there was no way I could (de-commit) from Indiana. I shut down Purdue immediately and stayed with Indiana."
His Cream & Crimson roots run deep.
"My mom's whole family is from Indiana and, really, just growing up ever since I was younger (I was an Indiana fan)."
That attraction intensified because he was also a standout basketball player fully engaged in Hoosier tradition.
"Everybody loved IU basketball, so I was always an Indiana Hoosier."
Then there's senior linebacker Cam Jones, who came from Tennessee and learned quickly why beating Purdue is so important.
Memories run deep for him, and go beyond victories and bowl appearances.
He remembers a snowy night his first year with the Hoosiers. He, McFadden, and fellow defensive players Aaron Casey and James Miller were working out at Mellencamp Pavilion.
"It was our first snow," he says, "and we got snowed in.
"We were working out on a Friday night, maybe 10 o'clock or 11 o'clock. We had to walk backwards (so we didn't fall in the snow).
"We were parked (outside the north end zone) at the stadium and we just lived across the street, but we couldn't even drive.
"I remember nights like those that we were just grinding. The long nights that nobody knows about."
Spending them with a player such as McFadden, an All-America, mattered most.
"It has been amazing," Jones says. "Just the type of guy he is and how he carries himself, the energy he brings, the leadership he brings, has been amazing.
"It's been a long ride. I remember when we first walked in here. We were so young. We were like, 'What are we going to eat today?' Now, it is like we are gearing up for the next game.
"It has been amazing. I love that guy. It is a brotherhood that will last forever."
Adds McFadden: "That's my brother right there. I enjoy being around him. I enjoy waking up every day, coming to practice and getting to play with that guy."
As for Hendershot, he will leave as the program's career tight end leader in receptions (130) and yardage (1,428), and is one touchdown catch away from matching Ted Bolser's record of 15.
Despite this challenging season, he says he has no regrets.
"I would do it all again. Every day, I would choose to be an Indiana Hoosier again.
"I have met so many people here. It has been the biggest blessing ever. I never thought I would be a team captain. That has been one of the biggest things for me.
"The season didn't go how we wanted it to, but the bonds and the relationships you have built with all of your brothers is what this program is all about."
Players Mentioned
LB
/ Football
TE
/ Football
LB
/ Football
LB
/ FootballFB: Fernando Mendoza - Illinois Postgame Press Conference (09/20/25)
Sunday, September 21
FB: D’Angelo Ponds - Illinois Postgame Press Conference (09/20/25)
Sunday, September 21
FB: Week 4 (vs. Illinois) - Curt Cignett Post Game Press Conference
Saturday, September 20
FB: Inside IU Football with Curt Cignetti - Week 4 (Illinois)
Thursday, September 18