NEU » 41-year-old German was part of a group

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana defensive lineman Ralph Green III sat up, took a breath and pondered this weekends possibilities.A win over rival Purdue would not only make the Hoosiers bowl-eligible for the second straight year for the first time in a quarter century, it would also allow Green and his teammates to hoist the Old Oaken Bucket for a fourth consecutive time.When he arrived on campus five years ago, just getting the Bucket back to Bloomington was the goal. Winning it four times seemed unfathomable.A fourth Bucket? That would be very, very special, Green aid. Its something we havent done in like 70 years.Actually, the Hoosiers have only done it once, from 1944-47.So Green knows as well as anyone that Saturdays game is far from over, no matter how lopsided fans think it looks on paper.Yes, Purdue (3-8, 1-7 Big Ten) has lost six straight overall, each by at least 13 points and the last two by 28 and 29. Interim coach Gerad Parker is 0-5 since replacing the fired Darrell Hazell and with a major offseason overhaul looming, many wonder what motivation the Boilermakers will have this weekend.They know what this is about. They know its a rivalry game, Parker said. We arent going to have to ask our guys to play.Indiana (5-6, 3-5) has a lot more at stake.After a promising start and a series of close calls against a murderers row of ranked teams -- No. 2 Ohio State, No. 10 Nebraska, No. 12 Penn State and No. 4 Michigan -- its season has come down to this: Win and advance, lose and probably head home for the holidays.Its not something coach Kevin Wilson or his players talk about much because theyd rather focus on correcting mistakes and preparing for the game just like they do every week. Beating their biggest rival again, for a record-tying fourth straight time, would just be an added benefit.We still dont have the Bucket this year, Green said. We dont have it and the team up north doesnt have it, either. We have to go out there and get it and bring the Bucket back to Bloomington.Here are some other things to watch Saturday:FINAL ACTParker has been preparing Purdues players for the likelihood that he and most or all of his coaching staff will not return next season. Though Parker has adamantly acknowledged his desire to stay in West Lafayette, hes gone out of his way to praise the assistants for the effort theyve made in trying circumstances, Athletic director Mike Bobinski could make the expected announcement about Parker and the other coaches this weekend, but its unclear when Bobinski may hire a new coach.TURNVOERSIndianas good-hands team has struggled lately, losing six of 10 fumbles over the last three weeks. Last week at No. 4 Michigan, they only put the ball on the ground once and recovered it. The Boilermakers struggles have been even worse. David Blough leads the conference with 19 interceptions after throwing three in the first half last week. And Purdues minus-18 turnover margin is three times worse than the next closest Big Ten teams (Indiana and Maryland, minus-6).DEFENSIVE DIFFERENCEFirst-year defensive coordinator Tom Allen has made a major difference at Indiana. He credits the turnaround to having players who bought in quickly to his philosophy. On the field, though, Indiana has had some real difference-makers. Linebacker Marcus Oliver is the NCAAs active leader with 11 forced fumbles, linebacker Tegray Scales leads the Big Ten in tackles (106) and cornerback Rashard Fant is tied for the national lead with 16 pass breakups.BIG PLAYSDespite this seasons struggles, Blough has demonstrated a propensity for making big plays. Hes thrown a TD pass of 45 yards or more in seven straight games. The streak was extended last week with a 75-yard TD pass to DeAngelo Yancey.---More AP college football: http://collegefootball.ap.orgCarolina Hurricanes Pro Shop . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91. Hurricanes Jerseys 2021 . -- Eastern Kentucky thrives off creating havoc for others. https://www.cheaphurricanes.com/ . In the lead up - which seemed to begin the moment Mike Geiger blew the whistle in Houston last Thursday night - the Impact rumour mill went into overdrive. The speculation went into meltdown mode, of the golden nugget variety. Fake Hurricanes Jerseys . On Tuesday, Ottawa placed forward Cory Conacher and defenceman Joe Corvo on waivers as trade rumours swirl around the Senators. Stitched Hurricanes Jerseys .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable.ANNECY-SEMNOZ, France -- Chris Froome retained his big race lead Saturday to ensure that he will become Britains second successive Tour de France champion after Bradley Wiggins. Only an accident or other freak mishap on Sundays largely ceremonial final ride to Paris could stop Froome from winning the 100th Tour. Froome finished third in a dramatic Stage 20 to the ski station of Annecy-Semnoz in the Alps that decided the other podium placings. Nairo Quintana from Colombia won the stage and moved up to second overall. Joaquim Rodriguez from Spain rode in 17 seconds behind Quintana. He moved up to third overall. Froomes lead is more than five minutes over both those two. Alberto Contador, who had been second at the start of the day, struggled on the final climb and dropped off the podium. The 125-kilometre trek was the last of four successive stages in the Alps and the final significant obstacle Froome needed to overcome before Sundays usually relaxed ride to the finish on the Champs-Elysees in Paris. That 133-kilometre jaunt starts in Versailles. Froomes dominance at this Tour was such that this victory could very well be the first of several. At 28, he is entering peak years for a bike racer. He proved at this Tour that he excels both in climbs and time trials -- skills essential for those who want to win cyclings premier race. He also handled with poise and aplomb questions about doping in cycling and suspicions about the strength of his own performances. He insisted that he raced clean. Froome first took the race lead and the yellow jersey that goes with it on Stage 8, when he won the climb to the Ax-3 Domaines ski station in the Pyrenees. On Sundays Stage 21, he will wear the yellow jersey for the 13th straight day. Froome told French television that when he passed the sign showing 2 kilometres to go on Saturdays final climb, "for the first time I realized that it was almost won." "It was hard today," he said. "Rodriguez and Quintana raced very strongly." Sunday "will be a day for sprinters on the Champs-Elysees. For us, it is done." Saturdays stage did a big loop south of Annecy, through the mountains of Savoie between the lakes of Annecy and Bourget. This is cheese-making country, with lush Alpine pastures and dense, naturally cool forests. Quinntanas win also secured him the spotted jersey awarded to riders who pick up the most points on mountain climbs.dddddddddddd He also retained the white jersey as the Tours best young rider. He wiped away tears in his news conference as stage winner. "I couldnt ask for more," he said. "I got nearly everything. It was fabulous." "Its a very special day in Colombia. A big party and the whole of Colombia is celebrating." Unlike on Friday, when storms drenched the pack, the sun shone and the skies were blue on Sataurday. When a motorbike-borne television camera focused on Spanish rider Alejandro Valverde, he motioned that riding in such conditions was hot, tiring work. The ride took the racers up six climbs. The last two of those were particularly tough. The last steep climb to Annecy-Semnoz, past ski lifts and ski slopes, was rated HC or "Hors Categorie", meaning its considered too hard to classify. It was the last really tough climb of this Tour. The riders have just two small humps to climb on their leisurely Sunday ride from the Versailles Palace to the Champs-Elysees cobbles, where sprinters including Mark Cavendish will battle for the stage win. Uniquely for the 100th Tour, Stage 21 will set off in the late afternoon, so the race finishes more or less as the sun is setting behind the Arc de Triomphe. For a chunk of Saturday, the race was led by its oldest rider, Jens Voigt. The 41-year-old German was part of a group of 10 riders that broke away fromn the pack early in the stage. "Since Im almost sure that this was my last Tour, I wanted to say a proper goodbye," said Voigt. "I gave eveything," he said. "Im happy and now it is over for me." He was caught in the battle on the final climb. Quintana, Froome and Rodriguez rode off, leaving Contador to labour behind. The winner of 2007 and 09 who was stripped of his 2010 victory and banned for a failed doping test ran out of legs. Contador placed 7th in the stage, coming in more than 2 minutes behind Quintana. That dropped him to 4th overall, more than seven minutes back from Froome. Canadas Ryder Hesjedal is 69th overall after finishing the stage in 85th. David Veilleux of Cap-Rouge, Que., is 122nd overall while Svein Tuft of Langley, B.C., is last at 170th. ' ' '