Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/79101
THE AUTHORITY ON PURDUE ATHLETICS VOLUME 22, EX 7 • OCT. 19, 2011 So Close, But How Far? At Midway Point, Purdue Still Improving 0 3 BY STACY CLARDIE SClardie@GoldandBlack.com D anny Hope figured his Purdue team would have a better record by the mid- way point in the season. But 3-3 is where the Boilermakers are with half the season gone and a difficult schedule looming. Purdue will need to at least split those final six games to become bowl eligible. And the road includes games against No. 23 Illinois this week, No. 18 Michigan in Ann Arbor next week and No. 4 Wiscon- sin in Madison on Nov. 5. Purdue is 1-3 against teams ranked in the AP poll in Hope's three seasons. GBIprint.com GoldandBlack.com Waynelle Gravesande stretched for the pylon against Penn State but was ruled short of a touchdown. Collectively, the Boilermakers were inches away from pulling the upset in Happy Valley. Losses in those upcoming games would mean the Boilermakers would need to sweep their final three against Ohio State, Iowa and Indiana. "We have to execute a little bit better because the competition is really strong," Hope said. "We don't have a lot of margin for error as far as mistakes go. So if we can minimize our mistakes and everyone con- tinues playing hard and wide-open and playing to win and playing with a lot of emotion and enthusiasm and with a lot of determination, we're going to keep getting better and win some games." Tom Campbell Enough to qualify for a bowl? Purdue's last bowl appearance was in 2007 when it beat Central Michigan in the Motor City Bowl in Detroit, 51-48. When asked Tuesday if his team is a bowl team, Hope said "absolutely." "I certainly think so, so do the players," he said. "We just have to win enough games. We're good enough, and we're going in that direction. And I believe that, when it's all said and done, we're going to have a heck of a football team if we can stay healthy." Senior linebacker Joe Holland said players haven't talked much about mak- In this issue: • Pages 6-9: A Preview Of Illinois • Pages 17-18: Caleb TerBush Feature • Pages 23-24: The Slate • Page 30: Recruiting Updates Number of fumbles committed by Purdue running backs this season. Inside The NUMBERS Purdue's turnover total at Penn State, doubling their offensive giveaways. The Boilers now have seven turnovers, six on offense and one on special teams. 10 92 leading 26 sacks. Illini defensive end Whitney Mercilus' NCAA-leading sack total through seven games. Illinois has a NCAA- goal; Minnesota's the week before went for a touchdown. 895 Yardage in single kickoff returns dur- ing the last two weeks. Penn State's to open the second half set up a field 54 catches with seven touchdowns, which leads the Big Ten. The receiving yardage by Illi- nois wide receiver A.J. Jenkins, which leads the nation. He has ing a bowl during the season. But it was constantly in conversation during summer conditions and preseason workouts. And the team knows what it has to do to reach one: Play better. In a meeting on Sunday, after a 23-18 loss at Penn State, Holland addressed the team. He said the loss was a perfect example of how small the margin for error is in the Big Ten. "One thing that kind of stood out about the Penn State game is that we played sound defensively, we played physically, we matched their physicality defensively but GOLD & BLACK ILLUSTRATED • VOLUME 22, EXPRESS 7 • 1