WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  The ex-baseball player had lost his fastball. Billy Dicken''s passes looked more like Tim Wakefield''s knucklers.

   Five months off will do that to a quarterback. Your form goes to pot. Your long balls fall short.

   That was Purdue quarterback Dicken early last spring. His timing couldn''t have been worse.

   "Being a fifth-year senior with a new coaching staff, you really didn''t know what to expect," Dicken said.

   New coach Joe Tiller didn''t care what Dicken had done as a starter in 1994 and ''96. Dicken''s injury-plagued career wasn''t a consideration. What Tiller wanted was a productive quarterback. Dicken couldn''t do it.

   "I had such a long layoff from throwing the ball that my mechanics were kind of crappy," Dicken said. "I really had to work hard to get it back."

   And he had to work hard to impress Tiller. For the first two weeks of spring practice, a frustrated Dicken battled his coach and himself.

   "Billy''s problem in the spring was his inconsistency," Tiller said.

   Late in the spring, Dicken started to figure it out. He played well enough in the final weeks of practice to move close behind starter John Reeves.

   After spending the summer working on his arm strength and mechanics, Dicken didn''t waste time taking the job from Reeves. Four days into training camp, Dicken became No. 1. He hasn''t sat down since.

   "He had a little bit of an edge on the other guy with regards to calling the offense," Tiller said. "He understands it better. He''s a very competitive guy."

   Dicken is the surprise player on the Big Ten''s most surprising team. The former Bloomington High School star and News-Gazette All-Stater is fifth in the nation in total offense and 20th in passing efficiency. He leads the league in passing yardage.

   Twice, Dicken has been named Big Ten player of the week. He earned the honor after wins against Notre Dame and last Saturday over Wisconsin. Dicken completed 16 of 22 passes for 311 yards and three touchdowns against the Badgers. He also had six runs for 56 yards.

   "Dicken is having the type of senior year you''d like every senior to have," Tiller said.

   "You look at his productivity, which is really what it''s all about, and he''s doing a tremendous job," Illinois coach Ron Turner said.

   Thanks to Dicken, the Boilermakers are 5-1 and on their way to a bowl game. Win one more and Purdue makes the postseason for the first time since 1984.

   Purdue reached another milestone this week, joining the national rankings for the first time since ''84.

   "You''re always going to call a team like us a surprise," Dicken said. "Everybody called Northwestern a surprise a couple years ago. It''s not an overwhelming surprise to me because I knew we had the talent."

   During Jim Colletto''s six seasons as coach, the Boilermakers pulled a few upsets. They knocked off Michigan last season, Wisconsin in ''95, Michigan State and Illinois in ''94. But they never could keep it going. Win one week against Michigan, lose the next to Northwestern.

   With Tiller, Purdue hasn''t suffered a letdown. The Boilermakers bring a five-game winning streak into Saturday''s game against Illinois. The lone loss is to undefeated Toledo.

   Would the Boilermakers have been 5-1 with Colletto in charge? Dicken doesn''t think so.

   "I think it was a good time for a change," Dicken said. "The players were frustrated. The coaching staff was frustrated. We''d been close to getting over the hump, and never quite could do it. The attitude was not as positive as it is now."

Tough times

   Nobody would have blamed Dicken for having a negative attitude going into his senior year. A three-sport star in high school, Dicken''s baseball career was ruined by a rotator cuff injury suffered his redshirt freshman season.

   He couldn''t even play quarterback in ''95, working instead in the secondary and on special teams.

   Just as he started to regain his health in ''96, Dicken had a fractured sternum against West Virginia.

   "It''s been a weird ride," Dicken said.

   It wasn''t the ride Dicken''s high school coach expected him to take.

   "I thought he was going to be a big-time college quarterback," said Terry McCombs, now the athletic director at Downers Grove South. "He had four essential tools. He could run the option. He had the golden arm. He was a tremendous place-kicker. He''s a tremendous leader. What more could you ask for out of a college quarterback?"

The right call

   During Dicken''s senior year, McCombs was hoping he might sign with Illinois. The Illini already were after teammate Marquis Mosely. Linemen Tom and Ryan Schau would join the next season.

   But Dicken wasn''t the first quarterback choice of Illinois. The school wanted Jeff Hecklinski.

   "They were only going to take one," McCombs said. "As soon as Hecklinski committed, Illinois called me and said ''No.'' "

   Even if Illinois had offered him a scholarship, Dicken isn''t sure he would have taken it. The school went through a coaching change during his junior year in high school, with Lou Tepper taking over for John Mackovic.

   "I wasn''t really thrilled with Coach Tepper," Dicken said. "With Mackovic there, it might have been a different story."

   Dicken didn''t want to be someone''s second choice.

   "They wanted Jeff there and if it didn''t work out, to have me there also," Dicken said. "That wasn''t a good vibe for me."

   Dicken''s choice came down to Purdue and Northwestern. He picked the Boilermakers because he thought they had a better chance to win. Oops. Three years later, Northwestern made the Rose Bowl.

   Dicken''s getting the last laugh. Northwestern is struggling through a 3-5 season, with some of the blame going to inconsistency at quarterback. Dicken might be an All-Big Ten pick for a bowl team.

   "It''s really amazing," Dicken said. "It''s a lot more fun when you''re winning than when you''re losing."