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QB Painter prepares for rival Indiana, final game as Boilermaker

Few players in the history of the Big Ten have come under such scrutiny while putting up such good numbers as Purdue's quarterback has the past three-plus seasons.

Such is life for senior Curtis Painter, whose Purdue career will end Saturday in Ross-Ade Stadium against the team where he first showed his potential back in 2005, rival Indiana. A rough start this season caused him to fall out of favor with fans and eventually be temporarily replaced by junior backup Joey Elliot earlier this year at Northwestern and against Penn State. Add to that the fact that he has been dealing with a nagging shoulder injury since Purdue's game against Minnesota Oct. 25th and adversity would be an understatement for what Painter's been through.

"I've definitely been through some adversity," Painter said. "But I don't pay attention to the criticism. I'm pretty hard on myself and I work hard for myself every day to get better. I don't worry about outside pressure."