Purdue to play in Heart of Dallas Bowl

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Purdue's football team accepted an invitation to play in the Heart of Dallas Bowl in Dallas on Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013. Purdue will face Oklahoma State. Kickoff is set for 11 am CT, and the game will be televised by ESPNU.

The Boilers are 6-6 on the season and 3-5 in Big Ten play.

Purdue will play in back-to-back bowl games for the first time since 2006 and 2007. The Boilermakers defeated Western Michigan 37-32 in the 2011 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in Detroit.

“I am happy for and proud of the 20 seniors on our team,” Purdue athletics director Morgan Burke said. “When we were sitting 3-6, having lost five straight games, many people gave up on this group. But those seniors – and other leaders in the locker room – didn’t quit and didn’t let their teammates quit. Their backs were against the wall, and they worked extremely hard to win three straight games and earn the reward of postseason play.

“We are thrilled to be heading to Texas, where we have been multiple times for bowl games. Purdue has a lot of alums in the Lone Star State, including more than 13,000 within 250 miles of the Metroplex, so my hunch is there will be a lot of gold and black at the Cotton Bowl. Our goal is for the players and coaches to have a great trip and, obviously, to win the game.”

Purdue has played in 16 bowl games all-time, with a 9-7 record. The Boilermakers have played in Texas bowl games six times previously, going 2-0 in the Alamo Bowl (San Antonio – wins in 1997 and 1998), 1-0 in the Bluebonnet Bowl (Houston – win in 1979) and 1-2 in the Sun Bowl (El Paso – win in 2002, losses in 2001 and 2004).