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since 2009 — it lost four of five each of the last two years. The quality of the remaining competition and the way the Boilermakers played in their first two road games this season, though, have Hope and players thinking a strong finish is possible even if it's on the road. Senior defensive tackle Kawann Short said entering hostile environments "boosts our in- tensity and enthusiasm." TCF Bank Stadium may only seat 50,805, but the Gophers were close to a sellout in their last home game against Northwestern. Iowa has sold out 59 of its last 61 games — that's 70,585 people in Kinnick Stadium — at a place where Purdue has lost six con- Boilermakers a step closer to postseason play — and that's the goal at this point, right? — but a loss … well, that would take Purdue potentially down an entirely different path. And I don't think the Boilers want to even think about that. The following are our thoughts now, on the eve of Purdue's game at Minnesota. • Kyle Charters: "In many ways, Purdue's season is on the line at Minnesota. A win gets the At home and on the road, the official Purdue Visa® son: 3-4, coming off three consecutive losses to start Big Ten play. And then I projected it would win four of the last five to get to seven victories. The Boilermakers must do that —it's the only way to consider this a 'successful' season." • Alan Karpick: "Through the roller coaster of the past three weeks, the Boilermakers are • Stacy Clardie: "This is exactly where I figured Purdue would be at this point in the sea- " still a team that can control how this season turns out. Step up and win some games on the road, and find away to get into a decent bowl and Coach Danny Hope can get to seven, eight, or nine wins. Lose Saturday, and Purdue might be in a crevasse it can't find its way out of. • Brian Neubert: "It's time for our favorite buzzword: 'must-win.' Is this a must-win game " for Purdue? Why, yes, it is. Lose at Minnesota and all of a sudden we're looking at a team that isn't going to make the absolute bare-minimum of making the postseason. Purdue's most sig- nificant goals are already dashed. Last year's regular season results are now the best Purdue can hope for this year and last year, Purdue probably would have won a game like this one. " GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 23, EXPRESS 8 • 2 is the best way to pay. Shop at millions of places worldwide and watch your rewards add up fast. Redeem points for 1% cash back, merchandise or a cash contribution to the John Purdue Club. Purdue Visa today.* Fixed rate. No annual fee. Free rewards. Request your 765.497.3328 // 800.627.3328 // PURDUEFED.COM *Subject to credit approval. No annual fee. Balance transfers and cash advances not eligible for rewards points. This credit union is federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration. secutive games. Illinois' attendance has been poor all sea- son, not reaching 47,000 fans in a game to date. Regardless of the venue, though, the Boil- ermakers seem full of confidence again. "I'm glad we have played well on the road because we're at a very focal point of our sea- son and we have a lot of road games ahead of us and teams we match us well against, said. "We'll have some confidence as a football team in regards to being road warriors, and that's going to be very important to our foot- ball team right now. " Hope " j WORLDWIDE ACCEPTANCE. REWARDS YOU WANT MOST.