Purdue ready for trip to Dallas

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Purdue's football team has just three practices left before the Boilers travel to Dallas. Interim head coach Patrick Higgins is leading the team and the players are enjoying their time with the former wide receivers coach.

"He has been awesome," said Purdue senior quarterback Robert Marve. "He has been a guy that the whole team loves being around. He is fun and funny. He keeps things interesting and he changes things up. It has been fun and he has done a good job with it."

"It has been great and Coach Higgins has the respect from everyone on the team," said Purdue senior tight end Crosby Wright. "He has always been a leader and his positions group has always seen him in that light. He had the chance to step up into the offensive coordinator role with a few weeks left in the season. It was a chance for him to add more responsibility when we had a coaching change."

The seniors are trying to take in each moment as they prepare to play in their final game in the gold and black uniforms.

"Going through a senior twice has given me good understanding that it is a blessing to be here and have with it," said Marve. "I am always going to cherish the moments I have been here."

"Being out here feels like a nice little bonus and it feels like a nice reward for the season that we had and I am happy I get to spend an extra month with the friends, teammates, and getting to play this game," said Wright.

Purdue is 16.5 point underdogs entering the bowl game against Oklahoma State but that hasn't discouraged the Boilers. In fact, it has inspired them to prove to everyone, they are the better team.

"We have been in this position the five years that I have been here and we feel like we are going to shock the world," said Purdue senior defensive tackle Kawann Short. "These guys have us getting beat by 17 plus points and we feel like we are a better team than that. Everybody is pretty healthy and we are doing what we need to do and we need to transfer that over to the game."

"We are one of the biggest underdogs in all of the bowl games and obviously we don't agree with that," said Wright. "At the same time, we believe it is about us and we know if we go out there and play our football game, we have proven we can hang until the very end with the best teams in the country."

Purdue flies to Dallas on December 28 in hopes of bringing back home its second straight bowl win. Purdue faces Oklahoma State in the Heart of Dallas Bowl on January 1. Kick-off is set for noon ET.

Purdue has only played Oklahoma State once and the Boilers beat the Cowboys 33-20 in the 1997 Alamo Bowl.