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"Everything is about building," Hazell said. "It's about improvement every single week and mak- ing sure our guys understand that. This week has nothing to do with last week." And therein lies the issue for the Boiler- makers. They've won more games this season than in Hazell's first year, yes, but they've yet to show much consistency in Year 2. And, now, the tough stretch hits. No. 8 Michigan State and its vaunted de- fense comes to Ross-Ade Stadium this weekend and back-to-back road games at Minnesota and Nebraska follow on the schedule before bruising Wisconsin plays in West Lafayette on Nov. 8. It'll be a telling four-game span. Has Purdue truly grown or is it still fledgling? "The ultimate test of greatness is consisten- cy," Appleby said. "That's what we're trying to do. There's been flashes for years where we'll show up and it's like, 'What kind of team is this? Wow, where has this been?' It's in us. We've got the tal- ent. It's just bringing that focus, that intensity, that emotion, that attitude that we're going to do whatever is necessary to win. If things don't go our way, that's fine. We're going to hang in there, keep plugging away, stick together, stay tight be- cause it's going to turn around and it's going to be OK for us. We can't hang our heads and say, 'Here we go again.' That doesn't exist anymore. As a team, we've changed our culture." May as well get a test right away. The Spartans are three- touchdown favorites and are coming off a key confer- ence victory over Nebraska. Oh, and they're also de- fending league champions. "We've been building, and we hope to continue building this program no matter who the opponent is," senior captain Ryan Rus- sell said. "Michigan State is the defending Rose Bowl champs, they're the defend- ing Big Ten champs. They're coming here with a lot of confidence. You definitely want to measure up against these guys because they are the standard of what it is to be the Big Ten champs." j Appleby's First-Place Performance Dating back to Drew Brees in 1998, here is where Austin Appleby's debut perfor- mance ranks with 13 other Boilermaker quarterbacks' first game as a starter. GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 7 • 2 *Subject to credit approval. No annual fee. Balance transfers and cash advances not eligible for rewards points. Federally insured by NCUA. At home and on the road, the official Purdue Alumni Association Visa ® Credit Card is the best way to pay. Shop at millions of places worldwide and online. Earn rewards points on all your purchases redeemable for unlimited cash back, gift cards and cash donations to the John Purdue Club. BLEED BLACK AND GOLD. Apply today. * PURDUEFED.COM/VISA * Seven quarterbacks (Brees, Brandon Hance, Justin Siller, Joey Elliott, Rob Henry, Caleb TerBush, Appleby) won their first games as a starter. Six (Kyle Orton, Brandon Kirsch, Curtis Painter, Robert Marve, Sean Robinson, Danny Etling) were not as fortunate. Outcome: Win T-1st * Completion percentage: 75% 1st Yards per pass attempt: 10.1 1st Yards per rush attempt: 10.9 1st Longest Pass Play: 80 yards 1st