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said he has seen improvements, especially from his freshmen, each week, and he's confident that they will add another win before the 2013 season closes. "It's sometimes hard to see that from the outside, but you can see some little successes from within the program," he said. "I assure you, we are trying to win games this year." Over the past six weeks, Purdue has scored a total of 21 points – only three touchdowns, no field goals. That span includes two bye weeks, but it also includes two shutout losses – to Ohio State and Michigan State, the two best teams in the Big Ten. Penn State head coach Bill O'Brien is just one year removed from his first year in the Big Ten, so he can relate to what Hazell is experiencing. And he agrees with his counterpart. O'Brien said he and his team understand that Purdue still has some fight in it, and if Hazell's underclassmen click on Saturday, anything is possible. "Our guys are very focused on this game," O'Brien said. "With our guys, it's never a matter of focusing on who the opponent is. It's not. It has nothing to do with records or anything else. It's about playing the best football we can play and trying to get better from the mistakes that we made last week." Purdue will try doing the same. Its defense struggled against Wisconsin (388 rushing yards) and Iowa (318), two teams that that employ a zone blocking scheme. Hazell said he anticipates a similar strategy from Penn State, so they've been working to fix previous mistakes. "They do such a good job of getting hip-to-hip and getting 600 pounds on a 300-pound guy," he explained. "That's where we got most exposed against those two teams. Is Penn State as good up front as Iowa and Wisconsin? They're good. I don't think they're as good as those two teams. " Facing Christian Hackenberg, who up until last week was the Big Ten's leading passer, Hazell is more concerned. He knows that if Penn State establishes the run, as Iowa and Wisconsin were able to do, it will draw his safeties toward the line of scrimmage. In previous games, that has allowed quarterbacks to go deep and complete long passes. So is he crafting new strategies? Purdue has blitzed about 20 percent of the time this season, Hazell said, and will "perhaps" increase the blitzing frequency against the Nittany Lions and their true freshman quarterback. If there's anyone who knows the inner workings of a freshman football player, it's Hazell. His depth chart is littered with them, including at quarterback, and while many of the underclassmen have experienced the usual growing pains, he's expecting a few of his receivers to break out soon. Hazell said he wants to get four pass catchers "ramped up" during the final three games of the season, beginning Saturday. They include DeAngelo Yancey, B.J. Knauf, Cameron Posey and Danny Anthrop, each of whom is in either his first or second season. "They can be pretty special," Hazell said. "We've got to get them playing at a high level, high speed, no mistakes and to make plays for us. For where we are right now, I think those are the guys who kind of identified themselves as guys who can go out and make plays for right now. Those other guys are going to be a great supporting cast, but if we're going to get going and have some success down the stretch, we need those four guys to play exceptionally well. " O'Brien is making sure his team is prepared for Purdue's strongest effort. Time is running out on its bid for a conference win, and Penn State certainly doesn't want to be the one to surrender the first. So it is not taking the Boilermakers lightly. "We don't have any problem focusing on Purdue," O'Brien said. "We respect Purdue. I think Coach Hazell is an excellent football coach. It's just his first year there. He's putting in his offense, defense and special teams. He's working hard in recruiting and I have a lot of respect for Darrell." INJURY REPORT Bill O'Brien announced that LB Ben Kline (pectoral/shoulder) will undergo surgery this week and miss the season. RB Akeel Lynch (knee) returned to practice and is expected to suit up. WR Allen Robinson (shoulder) is expected to play. N O V E M B E R 1 3 , 2 0 1 3 2 BWI'S FORECAST NATE BAUER 2013 RECORD 5-4 For as many problems as Penn State has had this season, Purdue has had more. Look for the Nittany Lions to bounce back this weekend. PENN STATE 27, PURDUE 13 PHIL GROSZ 2013 RECORD 5-4 Purdue arrives on Penn State's schedule at the right time. This is a game in which PSU's offense can return to its September form and its defense can heal its wounds. The Nittany Lions will have red zone success vs. Purdue. PENN STATE 35, PURDUE 14 MATT HERB 2013 RECORD 7-2 Penn State still hasn't lost two in a row under Bill O'Brien. It's returning home, where it has played pretty well this season, and O'Brien says Christian Hackenberg is looking good in practice. All of the signs point to a bounceback win. PENN STATE 27, PURDUE 17 TIM OWEN 2013 RECORD 6-3 Purdue struggles to score the football, so that means this will be the perfect rebound game for the Nittany Lions. But the final score will be closer than many are anticipating. PENN STATE 28, PURDUE 17 RYAN SNYDER 2013 RECORD 7-2 Penn State bounces back against a reeling Purdue squad. Look for PSU's defense to put up its best performance of the season. PENN STATE 34, PURDUE 10 B LUE WH I T E ON L I N E .COM

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