CHAMPAIGN – With one kick, Purdue has gone from a team on a five-game skid with questions about its head coach to a team in the hunt for a bowl berth.

Last Saturday’s 27-24 win over Iowa breathed life into the Boilermakers (4-6 overall, 1-5 Big Ten). Win out – today at Illinois and next week against Indiana – and they’ll be headed to a bowl.

“I would really like to get this team to a bowl game,” said quarterback Robert Marve, whose career has been marred by repeated knee injuries. “It’s been a long road, and if we can finish strong at the end, it would really mean a lot to me.”