Purdue looking to play ‘disciplined’ football in Old Oaken Bucket matchup with Indiana football

The Indiana football program is heading into its season-finale against Purdue in the Old Oaken Bucket game.

While Indiana enters at 3-8 and is the only one-win team in Big Ten play, but it’s still a rivalry game and Purdue head coach Ryan Walters knows it.

“It’s going to be a rivalry game,” Walters said this week. “The atmosphere is going to be awesome, and so it’s going to be a tough and physical game for sure. To me it’s how disciplined can we play, how clean can we play? That will be the telltale by the end of the game.”

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Purdue enters the Old Oaken Bucket at 3-8 as well.

Below is the full video Q&A and key talking points from Ryan Walters ahead of this weekend’s matchup with Indiana football.

Q. Just with respect to Indiana, what challenges? The quarterback has played better of late. They’ve lost two close games here recently. What do you see in the Hoosiers?

RYAN WALTERS: Like you said, they are playing their best ball towards the end of the year. They have a lot of experienced guys up front offensively.

The quarterback is a tough, bigger guy that can run around and throws a good deep ball.

Running backs are big, powerful, Big Ten-type backs. One is, like, 6’3″, 240. The other one is 5’11”, 225. Big bruiser-type backs.

They have a lot of length on the outside. Then they have a speedy slot/running back, No. 12. I think they do a good job of utilizing the personnel and getting into different formations that are unique within that personnel grouping.

Their run game and pass game complement each other, so you have to have your eyes in the right spot all the time, and their guys on the outside do a great job of winning the 50/50 balls.

Defensively they’re multiple. They’re aggressive. So they pose problems that way. They’re long on the secondary as well, so it’s a good football team. It’s going to be a rivalry game. The atmosphere is going to be awesome, and so it’s going to be a tough and physical game for sure.

To me it’s how disciplined can we play, how clean can we play? That will be the telltale by the end of the game.

Q. Have you run into Tom Allen? Obviously you have coached against him over the years at Illinois, et cetera. Talk about him and what he brings to their program.

RYAN WALTERS: He’s a great guy. He’s very familiar with the state, with the high school background. Defensive mind. So I always pay attention to defensive guys.

I’ve been impressed with his career and what he’s been able to do, but he’s an old-school, hard-nosed, does everything by the book type guy. I’ve got a lot of respect for him.

Q. Tyrone Tracy went down late. Looked like his back. Any update the on him?

RYAN WALTERS: I think he will be fine. He is sore. Both him and Mock were sore after the game. That’s two weeks where they’ve done the workload and have played really well. So they’re just sore, like they should be, going into the last game of the season.

Q. Then with guys like Nic Scourton, Hudson Card, is that a situation where you find out Thursday if they’re good to go this week, or do you know now what their status is?

RYAN WALTERS: I would anticipate both of them being available, which is awesome. We need them. I was also very impressed with Khordae’s production and what he was able to do on Saturday.

SEE ALSO: 3 keys to Indiana football win over Purdue in Old Oaken Bucket matchup

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