While the teams have been practicing, Purdue University fans have been planning a road trip to Huntington for Sunday afternoon's faceoff between the Boilermakers and the Marshall Thundering Herd.
Approximately 100 alumni are making the 381-mile trek from West Lafayette, Indiana to Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington, said Chad Johnson, vice president of engagement and alumni outreach for the Purdue Alumni Association.
"It's not necessarily about how many alumni are in that area specifically, because a lot of them from Indiana are traveling that way," Johnson said. "The game is coming their direction, and they're making the effort to attend."
The Purdue Alumni Association will host a tailgate at 11:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. at Buddy's All-American Bar-B-Que for those who purchased tickets in advance.
"We have a 50-piece student band, our cheerleading team, Purdue Pete our mascot and our official mascot, the Boilmaker Special that are coming and will be there in the parking lot at Buddy's," he said.
According to the Alumni Association, 494 Purdue alumni reside in West Virginia.
Johnson, who has worked at Purdue for 32 years, said the intermingling of the Big 10 and Conference USA conferences would provide a unique opportunity to convene with alumni members from West Virginia, Ohio, Virginia, D.C. and North Carolina. Purdue will be the first Big 10 team to play at Marshall.
"We're going to see some alumni that we haven't seen on campus at other Big 10 schools, and we get a lot of events with the same people," he said. "This takes us to a different area to meet new alumni."
By Friday, the Purdue Athletics Ticket Office had distributed more than 800 tickets for this afternoon's game.
"It's a draw because they know Marshall is a good football team, they know the history and it's part of the [Labor Day] weekend," Johnson said, adding that he was planning to depart for Huntington after work.
Johnson said the tailgate would be a special event for the alumni and their families and would attract a unique crowd.
"We may not be right there having a tailgate at the stadium, but we'll be there and we made an effort to support the Thundering Herd," he said.
Mayra Goreja, 2013 graduate of Cabell Midland High School, is one of 18 West Virginians currently enrolled at Purdue.
"I chose Purdue because of its location, but also because Purdue takes pride in teaching how to think in a critical way," Goreja said. "Since my time here, I've come to think and process different ideas in broader terms and better appreciate others' thoughts."
Although Goreja is unable to attend Sunday's game, she said she would be cheering for both teams.
"Purdue is great," she said. "Coming from a smaller town to here was definitely overwhelming at first, but I really do love it here. I miss the friendly faces and the scenery though."
Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m.; the game will be televised nationally on Fox Sports 1.
Reach Lexi Browning at browning168@marshall.edu.
