Sycamores look to slow down Boilermakers

Indiana State's football team is headed back to Purdue on Friday night after a 49-0 loss a couple of seasons ago, but this time the Sycamores will look to have learned from that setback. ISU coach Curt Mallory said his players will learn from their mistakes and what they can do better. Mallory praised Purdue defensive coordinator Kevin Kane, saying he does a great job and noted he was the DC when the Sycamores fell at Purdue two years ago. "It's a different head coach, but he's a great defensive mind. So you have to go off the past just like you would this past year with their offense," Mallory said of scouting Purdue with the Boilermakers not having played a game yet this season. Mallory acknowledged Purdue offensive coordinator Josh Henson, saying he's known him for a long time and is a family friend. "Have a ton of respect for him," Mallory mentioned. "My brother's worked with him. He does a great job offensively and of course [I] have a great amount of respect for coach [Barry] Odom." Mallory feels good about his receiving corps with Keshon Singleton, B.J. Wuest, Dane Pardridge and Torey French. While the Sycamores fell 23-21 to Southeast Missouri State last Saturday, the matchup was pretty even. What doomed ISU was a late field goal by the Redhawks' Justin Keller. So one might say the defense is where the focus may likely be heavier going into Friday night. But how does the Friday night kickoff change preparation compared to a Saturday kickoff? "Well, it's a little condensed," Mallory admitted. "We knew that going into it, that that could be a possibility. That's been the case the last few years, but that's OK. It gives us a little bit more time to really dissect this last game." Mallory emphasized that Friday night is a great opportunity and that his team would respond after last Saturday's loss. Redshirt senior linebacker and Northview graduate Braxton Sampson said the main priority is for the Sycamores to compete and win the game. Looking back at SEMO and taking that to Purdue, he said they can practice with the mistakes they made Saturday. But it's different when they step between the lines, referencing lining up against Purdue. Sampson said the Sycamores are looking to take that experience and use it to their advantage Saturday. "There are just the little moments that become big moments that we need to work on," Sampson said. "At the end of the half, we can't let that big play happen where they set up for a field goal." He said the Sycamores can't let a sudden change affect how they play. "We just have to be able to get those kind of stops," Sampson said. Sampson said the short week flies, but that it's always very exciting so they can get back on the field and compete. "As a player you focus on preparing your body," Sampson said. "It's a quick turnaround, but you have to be able to handle that kind of workload." Wuest, a redshirt junior wide receiver, explained how he and his teammates need to trust each other, compete together, keep pushing the ball, find Purdue's errors and just attack the Boilermakers. In other game-related news, ISU will receive a $525,000 guarantee payout for playing Friday’s game at West Lafayette, Sycamore athletic director Nathan Christensen told the Tribune-Star on Tuesday afternoon.