It didn't take long for Indiana wide receiver Ty Fryfogle to gain an understanding of just how important the rivalry is with Purdue.
"When I first arrived on campus, I kept seeing signs asking what are you doing to beat Purdue. I learned early," Fryfogle said.
And, while the game is still four months away, the Old Oaken Bucket was on the minds of both Indiana and Purdue coaches and players at Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis.
The two teams were unable to play last season due to Covid-19 issues inside both programs, and when the teams played last on Nov. 30, 2019, the Hoosiers picked up a 44-41 double overtime win over Purdue.
On Friday, Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm talked about what the Old Oaken Bucket game means to the Boilermakers and their fans.
"Playing the Bucket Game, it means a great deal to our team, to our fan base, to our program. It's something that has a lot of history and tradition. And normally for us and even Indiana there's a lot of riding on the game beyond that. First couple years bowl implications were on the line. It's something that your players who are going to know each other, whether they played middle school together, high school, your fans who may live across the street from each other are going to know it, and you want to get bragging rights when the season is over. You know when the game's played. It's the last game of the season. And it's just a lot of fun. It's something that you work hard in the off-season to prepare for, and then you got to get to your regular opponents. But you normally have a pre-season plan going into it when you get to that week because there's normally a lot riding on the game beyond bragging rights and we look forward to that tradition every year," Brohm said.
Growing up in New Castle, Indiana head coach Tom Allen got quite an understanding very early about the Old Oaken Game and all that makes it special. He told the media at Big Ten Media Days, he is looking forward to renewing the rivalry with Purdue this year when the Hoosiers travel to West Lafayette.
"It is a big deal. We want to play that one again. It hurts we didn't get to play it last year," Allen said.
Indiana linebacker Micah McFadden also said he is looking forward to the clash this year, while teammate Fryfogle had a message to fans.
"The bucket's going to stay in Bloomington as long as I'm here. It's home," Fryfogle said.
----
• Talk about it inside The Hoops Forum or The Football Forum
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Follow us on Twitter: @IndianaRivals
• Like us on Facebook.
