Purdue @ Indiana preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 30, 2013 ) Purdue 36, Indiana 56

Bragging rights and the Old Oaken Bucket are the only things on the line when Purdue visits Indiana in the season finale for both teams on Saturday. The Boilermakers have lost five straight and its five turnovers proved fatal against Northwestern last week. Indiana beat its in-state rival last season in a game also held at Bloomington but Purdue has not lost back-to-back Bucket games since 1993 and 1994.

Indiana threw a scare into Big Ten leader Ohio State last week, leading 20-14 in the third quarter but the result was another loss 42-27 - its sixth straight. The Hoosiers haven't won since beating North Texas on Oct. 4. The next week they lost quarterback Nate Sudfield to a shoulder injury and it's been all downhill from there.

TV: Noon, ET, Big Ten Network. LINE: Indiana -2.5.

ABOUT PURDUE (3-8, 1-6 Big Ten): Purdue's lone Big Ten win came at Illinois 38-27 on Oct. 4. The Boilermakers are ranked 102nd in the nation in scoring defense, allowing an average of 32.5 point,s but have won two of the past three games at Indiana. Quarterback Austin Appleby has thrown a TD pass in six straight games and has rushed for five scores on the season.

ABOUT INDIANA (3-8, 0-7): The Hoosiers are paced by Tevin Coleman, who ranks second in the country with an average of 173.3 yards a game. Coleman shredded Ohio Sate for 228 yards and three touchdowns last week but, once again the Indiana attack was one-dimensional as freshman Zander Diamont passed for only 114 yards with an interception. The Hoosiers rank 120th in the nation in passing yards (143.5 a game) and Diamont has thrown only one scoring pass in five games.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Purdue and Indiana meet for the 117th time in series history. Purdue leads the all-time series 72-38-6, though Indiana won last year in Bloomington.

2. The winning team has scored 56 points in each of the last two seasons.

3. Coleman is 94 yards shy of 2,000 for the season.

PREDICTION: Indiana 27, Purdue 24.