Purdue has seen a smattering of talent this year.

Notre Dame swept through West Lafayette, Ind., on Oct. 1., but Boilermakers coach Joe Tiller is more afraid of Penn State.

"This is the best football team we've seen all season," Tiller said.

The Boilermakers' woes began on Sept. 24, when Minnesota's Laurence Maroney set a career high in rushing yards, 217, en route to a 42-35 win after two overtimes.

Then came Notre Dame, Iowa, Northwestern and Wisconsin.

"It's disappointing to lose one game, let alone five in a row," Tiller said.

It's not getting any easier, either.

Tiller said the Nittany Lions defense is what scares him the most.

"It will give our offensive line their greatest challenge yet," he said.

So far the Lions defense has snatched eight interceptions and eight fumbles away from opposing offenses, and turnovers are something the Purdue offense has been specializing in so far this season.

Against Northwestern, a costly interception thrown by quarterback Brandon Kirsch cost the Boilermakers a chance to come back in the waning seconds.

"There are plays to be made, and we are not making them, and that includes the interception that I threw at the end of the game," Kirsch said. He has since lost his starting job to sophomore Curtis Painter.

It certainly won't get any easier for Painter, who started his first game last week, either.

Tiller said Penn State's experienced secondary was one of the reasons why the Lions defense is so formidable.

"The four starters in the secondary have a lot of experience and have a lot of starts under their belts," he said.

The Purdue offense talked constantly this week about Penn State's defense, but remained confident they could at least compete tomorrow.

"We're a good team that is capable of coming out with a win on Saturday," Boilermakers center Matt Turner said. "We just need to go out and do it."

Talkin' 'bout practice

The Boilermakers haven't even been able to practice on their normal practice field this week, due to turf problems at the regular practice facility.

Both Purdue's Ross-Ade Stadium and Mollenkopf athletic center practice fields have been worn thin by Boilermaker cleats.

Tiller decided to move practice on Wednesday to West Lafayette High School's practice fields, after stumbling in practice the previous day.

"I stepped into a hole and thought I was going to go down," Tiller said in an article in the Lafayette Journal and Courier. "And I thought, if it's this bad for me, what's it like for a player?"