Purdue Turf Team's Preparation

For gameday..

Sports 18's dakota simon takes inside the hardworking purdue sports turf team's preparation of the playing surface..

Before the iowa game..

Take pkg: standup: the stars behind purdue football gameday..

There are a lot of them..

And in fact there are some right behind me as we speak.

The students and full time staff on the purdue sports turf crew hard at work getting rohrman field at ross-ade stadium ready for a week one matchup with iowa.

It's been a different year for everybody, especially inside the athletic department here.

I caught up with crew chief brian bornino ahead of this week's matchup to see what the prep has been like in a pandemic.

Pkg: nat brian -- it's been a headache.

A major headache.

For the last 16 years brian bornino has managed every athletic field you see on purdue's campus..

Nat this year, the purdue alum is managing a ross-ade stadium's field a little differently..

Nat that's because the facility's bermuda grass grows mainly in warm weather..

Brian -- it's not going to die, it just goes dormant.

When purdue's home season moves past thanksgiving..

Colder temps can turn the grass a brown color, but!

Brian -- football can still be played on it.

Near the end of this regular season the turf team will add more rye grass and coloring to the field to keep it green..

As soon as the big ten announced it's return to football in september..

Dak live shot brian -- pretty much instantaneous, this is the option to go with here.

(gesturing) the purdue sports turf crew sprung to action..

Brian -- this is the condition so i need this.

Or these are the conditions, and i need this.

(gesturing) bornino and his team are always a few steps ahead..

Brian -- there is not as much mowing, there's not as many things at other facilities, which means we can then bring that staff here and do a little bit more on the detail side.

Hey..

There are certain advantages to having a late start to the football schedule..

Brian -- even though we are just starting, we are almost to the finish line already.

And if we keep that in mind, this is going to go by pretty quick.

They have a simple mindset..

Nat a simple motto about their work each year..

Brian -- do the very best, and we don't walk away till think we got the job at the right spot.

I think sports 18 needs to adopt that motto ..

They are the stars behind the scenes ..