The Anthrop name resonates at Purdue.

John Anthrop played on Purdue's last Final Four team, back in 1980

Danny Anthrop was a star wideout on the football team from 2012-15.

Dru Anthrop helped Purdue win a hoops Big Ten title in 2009-10.

But Jackson Anthrop is the best of them all, better than dad Jon and brothers Dru and Danny. At least that's what Boilermaker co-offensive coordinator/receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard thinks.

"He probably is the greatest Anthrop to ever play here," said Shephard.

Hard to argue against that notion.

"He said it," said Jackson Anthrop. "He said it, not me. I love Coach Shep. Coach Shep has done a lot for me over the years. One of the best coaches, if not the best, I've ever had, especially in the game of football, and I appreciate him."

Jackson Anthrop soon will punctuate a Purdue career that far exceeded the expectations of most. He arrived from Class A Central Catholic High in Lafayette, Ind., as a two-star recruit in Darrell Hazell's last recruiting class in 2016.

Here ... let Anthrop tell the story.

"It's been a roller coaster," he said. "If you had told me how my career would have gone at Purdue, I never would have believed it. Just coming in as a running back and having a lot of great players in front of me my freshman year.

"You go from there to having a really good year with a new coaching staff having to prove yourself. And then another really good player comes in, you got to wait your turn a little bit. Do other things, get on special teams. And then COVID hits and then break a collarbone, break a foot and now right here. So, it's pretty crazy."

Crazy indeed. And here's something even crazier: Anthrop will leave campus ranked among Purdue's Top 20 all-time pass catchers. He has 139 career receptions for 1,283 yards and 10 TDs.

"It's just a testament to the hard work, the dedication that he has, the joy he has," said Shephard. "I mean, he literally bleeds black and gold. I don't know if I have anybody else on the team that bleeds black and gold the way that this young man does."

But Anthrop has been much more than just a pass-catcher.

"He's played running back, receiver," said Shephard. "He's thrown passes. He's gone down on kickoffs and tackled people, kickoff return. He's been blocking on punt. He's on punt return. I mean, at one point, I thought he was gonna get to play safety during the Oregon State game this past year. So, he's pretty much done everything on the field that one person could possibly do. And, you know, like I said, he probably is the greatest Anthrop to ever play here."

Case closed.

It's difficult to imagine anyone has been involved in more Old Oaken Bucket games as a player and coach than Mark Hagen.

This Saturday's Indiana-Purdue game will be the 27th for Hagen, the Boilermakers co-DC/line coach. His record: 16-10.

"I counted it up, unless my math's really off," said Hagen. "Sixteen times with a big old smile and 10 times where it's pretty disappointing. So, that's a lot."

Hagen played linebacker at Indiana (1987-91), then had three stints on the Hoosier coaching staff. And he is in his second go-around as a Boilermaker assistant.

Not only does Hagen have a winning record as a Bucket game participant, but he also has scored a TD in an Indiana-Purdue game. It was in 1990 in Ross-Ade Stadium, when Hagen intercepted an Eric Hunter pass and took it 21 yards to pay dirt en route to helping IU win.

"I had the (running) back man-to-man," said Hagen. "The back checked down and then Hunter didn't see me. He just kind of flipped it out to his left. I was just kind of right there hanging on the fringe. Was an easy toss, wasn't a hard ball to catch and I'm just lucky it wasn't further than 21 yards. I think I was about ready to get caught."

Hagen wasn't.

He'll look to add more good Bucket memories on Saturday.

Purdue has a chance to win a sixth Big Ten game on Saturday. Last time that happened was when the Boilermakers went 6-2 in 2003 en route to a Capital One Bowl bid. ... David Bell needs 101 yards receiving to set a school single-season record. ... Purdue is 403 yards from setting a school record for passing yards in a season set in 1998. ... Aidan O'Connell's eight career 300-yard passing days are the most of any QB in the Jeff Brohm era. ... Next season's cross-division games: vs. Penn State, at Maryland, at Indiana. ... It will be interesting to see how the QB spot sorts out for Purdue in 2022. Will O'Connell return for his COVID year? Will Jack Plummer remain on campus as a fifth-year senior or transfer? Will Austin Burton opt to use his COVID season elsewhere or stay at Purdue?

Membership Info: Sign up for GoldandBlack.com now | Why join? | Questions?

Follow GoldandBlack.com: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

More: Gold and Black Illustrated/Gold and Black Express | Subscribe to our podcast

Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2021. All Rights Reserved. Reproducing or using editorial or graphical content, in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited.