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THE AUTHORITY ON PURDUE ATHLETICS VOLUME 22, EX 11 • NOV. 16, 2011 'Our Work Isn't Done' L Purdue one victory from bowl eligibility BY STACY CLARDIE SClardie@GoldandBlack.com est there be any con- fusion in the wake of Purdue fans storming the field after a 26-23 overtime victory over Ohio State, let Albert Evans help. "People were saying, 'Oh, they weren't even ranked, why was it so spe- cial?' They're still Ohio State," the Boilermakers' resident tell-it-like-it-is leader said. "They're the Buckeyes coming into town. They're a team that when you look on the schedule, people don't think you should win, and we were able to win that game in the importance of trying to get bowl eligibility. "So it made it that much bigger." And, yet, Evans isn't In this issue: • Pages 6-9: A Look At Iowa • Page 17: Dwayne Beckford Feature • Pages 22-23: The Slate Of Opponents • Pages 29-31: Recruiting Updates 0 1 5 The smile on Ralph Bolden's face as he reached the end zone in last week's game against Ohio State is indicative of the position Purdue is in as it approaches its last two weeks of the season. Things look good, but there is still work to be done for the Boilermakers to reach the postseason for the first time since 2007. Tom Campbell proclaiming that Purdue has ac- complished anything. Far from it. There isn't a sense of security after beating the Buckeyes, who nearly won in regulation until Bruce Gaston got his right hand up to block an extra point late. There shouldn't be. Not for a team that's had to establish an identity of being men- tally tough because of the season's circumstances. GBIprint.com GoldandBlack.com It's had to survive devastating losses at Rice, against Notre Dame and back-to-back road blowouts to Michigan and Wisconsin. It's had to deal with off-field distractions, its Twitter controversy, its coach rumored to be on the hot seat, its booting a player after an ar- rest, its keeping players on the roster after arrests, its injured quarterback leading a charge for more financial compensation for athletes, its cur- rent quarterback's name surfacing in a booster scandal. And, yet, all of those struggles can be, at least, overshadowed with one more victory. One more will make the Boilermakers bowl eligible for the first time since 2007. They'd prefer to get it against Iowa on Senior Day Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium. The regular-sea- son finale, as usual, is against Indi- ana for the Bucket. "Our work isn't done," said se- nior Justin Siller, who was a redshirt freshman in 2007, when Purdue played in the Motor City Bowl. "We have every intention of com- ing out and winning both of these games. We only need one for bowl eligibility, but we want to be 5-3 in the Big Ten and have a 7-5 season. This game in particular on Saturday is the biggest game thus far this sea- son. This is one of the biggest games of my career here at Purdue. "We're coming in to work this week with every intent on becom- ing bowl eligible on Saturday." Returning to a bowl game has been the rallying cry for this senior Inside The NUMBERS Games that Iowa has lost by more than 10 points since fall- ing 31-6 at Purdue in 2007. The only margin greater than 10 in that span came last weekend, when Iowa lost 37-21 to Michigan State. Iowa's road victories this sea- son in three games away from Iowa City. 15.5 22 Home victories for Purdue in six chances in Ross-Ade Sta- dium. Big Ten. The defensive tackle ranks 10th nationally. Ross-Ade Stadium Saturday. The number of Boiler- maker seniors who will play their final games in class for years, wanting to get Purdue back to bowl prominence like when they came in, Siller said. Then, un- der Joe Tiller, the Boilermakers were on a string of reaching a bowl in 10 of 11 years. But players also are aware enough to know simply winning once won't only mean an extended season. "I think it's in the back of a lot of guys' heads that our coaches' jobs are on the line right now," Ev- GOLD & BLACK ILLUSTRATED • VOLUME 22, EXPRESS 11 • 1 Kawann Short's total TFLs, putting him in third in the