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Tom Campbell Josh Johnson needs only four pass breakups to tie Purdue's all-time record. He should get plenty of opportunities, as will the rest of the secondary, against a Cowboys' offense that likes to throw. portunities. It's fun preparation right now because everyone is so alive and so into it. There's no gloominess going on. It's, 'Man, it's going to happen. It's going to come to me. I've got to be ready.' That's what you need. With the studying and truly understanding it, now you add the athleticism with the knowledge of the system and now you're really playing the game." The Boilermakers have seen similar offenses already this season. In Game 4, Marshall ripped off 91 plays, passing an opponent record 68 times. Purdue responded with three interceptions, two returned for touchdowns. In the regular-season finale, Indiana ripped off 88 plays, passing 53 times. Purdue responded with three interceptions, returning them 83 yards. Oklahoma State's quarterbacks have thrown 13 interceptions — four have been returned for touchdowns. "Everybody who comes in and throws the ball on us, they don't throw it all around on us," junior cornerback Ricardo Allen said. "We always end up with turnovers and end up with big plays. That's another opportunity to come (against Oklahoma State)." Of course, to create plays in the back half of the defense, it'd help if Purdue could get some pressure in the front. With a defensive line that's expected to be as healthy as it's been since the season opener, that should at least give the Boilermakers' front four a chance. They'll need to hold up against the run, too, against an offensive line that has been stout in the passing game (11 sacks) and has charged its running game. "I remember those times. Those were some good times," a smiling tackle Bruce Gaston said of early in the year when the group up front wasn't nicked up. "For us as a defensive unit, especially, this is a perfect opportunity to go out against a good team and show what we can do." That sentiment extends to Purdue's offense. The Boilermakers may need to prove they can win a shootout. "(The game) has an opportunity to be that," Marve said. Since Higgins took over as play-caller leading into the Iowa game, he's been fiercely determined to get a running game going. It's been slow at points — seven yards on six plays in the first quarter against Illinois — but he hasn't wavered from the commitment. It could take some steely disposition to continue that approach against the Cowboys: Not too many teams have had success with it. Oklahoma State's rushing defense is 36th in the FBS and is anchored by tackles Calvin Barnett, a 299-pound freshman who was Big 12 Defensive Newcomer-of-theGBIprint.com GoldandBlack.com Warren Hill, ME '63 Jim Hill, MET '95, MBA '03 Jim Billard, LA '90 Brian Teyema, ME '87 Scott Dierking, IM '77 Russ Nelson, BCM '00 David Pikey, PH '97 Angela Billard, ED '90 Bill Silfies, MBA '03 Nick Muscolino, MET '06 Matthew Crawford, MET '05 Bob Hill, BCM '06 Ryan Stojkovich, BS '97 Mike Ivanovic, AS '81 Anthony Borgnini, ME '07 Anthony Camasta, MET '04 Beth Beigelbeck, SM '97 Deborah Toth, MET '07 Daniel Block, ME '08 Daniel Gasser, BS '04 Jason Jones, MET '08 Nick Johnson, BCM '09 Bryan O'Neill, BCM '09 Steven Sitkowski, BCM '10 Chris Summers, ME '10 Isaac Townsend, ME '10 Don Wunderlich, ME '13 Chris Gushurst, BCM '11 Joe Motuliak, MBA '11 Taylor Spaulding, ME '12 Grant Fillipatch, MET '12 Jessica James, BS '13 Robert C Krier, MET '13 Andy Mack, BS '15 Kevin Morrisroe, ME '15 Michael Rish, BCM '13 Martin Smith, MET '13 Year, and 296-pound sophomore James Castleman. But Higgins wants to sustain long drives, in part to control the game and keep the Cowboys' offense off the field, and then pick spots to take shots in the passing game. It's a formula that worked in the last three games, especially considering Marve's maturation in the offense. He hardly made mistakes, throwing only one interception compared to seven touchdowns, and now he's matched up against a secondary that has struggled mightily. The Cowboys allow an average of 285.7 passing yards per game — that ranks No. 112 out of 120 FBS schools. "Stats say one thing, film says another. Those guys are athletic," Edison said. "We're athletic, too. It's going to be a good shootout. It's going to be very exciting for our fans to watch. "I know we're capable of putting up a lot of points. They have a very good offense, so we're going to have to put up a lot of points. We're very confident. This is a good time in our lives right now to go to a bowl game, and we know we can get the job done." Despite what people may think. "As long as we go out there and play, we can shock anybody," tight end Gabe Holmes said. "They might take us for granted. That's their fault." j PURDUE PRIDE ... We're proud to be Illinois' largest HVAC contractor and to have 37 outstanding Purdue alumni on our HVAC/Plumbing team. THE HILL GROUP CARLE HOSPITAL – Urbana, IL The Hill Group was chosen for the HVAC, medical gas piping, plumbing, fire protecton, test and balance, and commissioning for this new ninestory, 378,000 square foot hospital. hillgrp.com Gold & Black IllustrateD • volume 23, issue 3 • 21