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It's prediction time once again. I completely forgot to do last week's predictions, so that is my fault, but some of the staff here replied this week and here are their predictions for tomorrow's Bucket game:
Juan Crespo
This is my last ever football game as a Purdue student (unless I stay here for graduate school), which also means it will probably be the last time I have to suffer by watching Coach Hope and Purdue Football in person. The feeling I have going into this game is: Lose the Bucket = Lose Hope, Keep the Bucket = Keep Hope. I don't know which one is worse. But to be honest, I'd rather win the Bucket and risk keeping Hope just because we already have to deal with IU and ND being #1 in basketball and football respectively. If Purdue losses this game, it will be one of the darkest days in West Lafayette, even darker than when Robbie Hummel tore his ACL. Sadly, IU's offense is just too powerful for the weak defense. I see an offensive shootout ending in IU's favor. Indiana: 38, Purdue: 30
Michael Harvath
Purdue plows downhill with Shavers, Bolden and Cottom for much of the game, and the sideline passing finds some success against IU's poorly disciplined and slower defense. The receivers are able to get open over the top, but Nord steadfastly ignores this after it works once. The defensive line rediscovers something of itself and contains IU's running game. IU moves the ball, but Josh Johnson, Ricardo, and Frankie Williams make enough plays to get by. Purdue slides by to go bowling. Burke dithers until after the bowl, fires Hope, then is surprised when all the good candidates are gone.
Purdue 31, Indiana 24
T-Mill
So what will the players do? It is clear they like Hope and like playing for him. The seniors have a ton of pride to play for, as they don't want to be the first group of seniors to lose the Bucket twice under their watch in almost two decades. They want to play in another game as well. Unfortunately, we haven't played well at home since September.
I am feeling a shootout. Indiana's defense is still bad, but that offense scares me. It should be fun. Purdue 38, Indiana 35