Tim Shaw has precious few Tuesdays left as a Nittany Lion.

Though Tuesdays are typically Penn State's hardest practice days, the senior defensive end finds that he's looking at those practices in a different way nowadays.

"I just find myself just sitting in the locker room before practice, and Tuesdays are our tough days," Shaw said. "And you look around, and guys aren't excited about going out for these Tuesday practices. And you think, 'I've only got a couple of these left.' "

"It forces you to look back and reflect on what you've been through," he continued, before making one significant statement. "I'm not going to let this Tuesday be another Tuesday."

By all accounts, Tuesday's practice in preparation for tomorrow's game against Purdue wasn't just the normal, hard-hitting practice. Though Shaw said Penn State coach Joe Paterno didn't change his practice routine, practice was even more intense. Players hit harder. Enthusiasm was plentiful.

"It was a lot more physical than normally, and it was a lot quicker tempo," senior co-captain Paul Posluszny said. "There's definitely a sense of urgency to get things done."

The Lions have responded to that urgency, well aware that another loss could send Penn State packing for a less-than-acceptable bowl game.

"We as a receiving corps, and we as a team, practiced the best," sophomore wide receiver Derrick Williams said. "The receivers really got into it. We kept the team motivated. We kept the juice in practice."

"Juice" is something the Penn State offense hasn't had much of lately. In the past two games, the Lions have mustered just 26 net rushing yards and 21 first downs.

One of those games was against then-No. 4 Michigan, which boasts the fifth-best defense in the country, but Penn State played even worse offensively against Illinois, ranked No. 40 in total defense.

This week, Paterno said some players voiced concerns that their legs were tired after Saturday's game, as the team was forced to take extra reps last week because Paterno wasn't certain who would be the starting quarterback.

But this week, the Penn State defense has noticed a change in the offense in practice.

"The offense looked really alive now," safety Anthony Scirrotto said. "They're practicing with enthusiasm."

Shaw said that while coaches may "get after" players at practice, the real change in intensity has to come from the players themselves. If players are just going through the motions, hard hits will wake them up, he said.

If so, this Tuesday was a wakeup call for the entire team. But for Shaw and the rest of the seniors, it was more than that. It was one more chance to improve on a season that's rapidly winding down.

And with that said, Shaw wouldn't let it be just another Tuesday.

"Just another Tuesday is when you don't get better," he said.