More: Purdue could be without offensive weapons vs. IU; notebook | Gold and Black Radio Pregame: Purdue-IU | Senior vignettes: Bentley, Hunte, Mahoungou, Robinson | Players grasp Bucket stakes
More ($): Season a success regardless of Saturday's result? | Most important matchup | Vs.: Players or coaching?
Purdue's stakes Saturday aren't necessarily new.
The Boilermakers are sitting at 5-6 entering their regular-season finale against Indiana, needing one more victory to reach bowl eligibility after a late-season surge that's had Purdue win two of its last three games, including a shocking upset at Iowa last week.
In 2012, Purdue also entered its final regular-season game against Indiana sitting at five victories. That team was looking to finish a late-season surge that started with a shocking last-second victory at Iowa and a second step over Illinois by retaining the Old Oaken Bucket with a victory over the Hoosiers.
That team had to overcome emotions of senior day, the uncertain future of its head coach, the pressure that comes with retaining the Bucket and the chance to get a bowl berth for the second consecutive season.
It did, in resounding fashion, exploding for 42 second-half points and forcing four second-half turnovers to post a 56-35 victory Nov. 24, 2012.
With the victory, Purdue kept the Bucket and got the bowl ... but lost its head coach.
Captain Akeem Shavers, quarterback Robert Marve, leading tackler Landon Feichter, cornerback Frankie Williams and kicker Paul Griggs — players on that last team to pull the Bucket-and-bowl-in-one-game feat — reflected this week on that accomplishment.