WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Joe Tiller knows a thing or two about wide receivers.

During six years at Wyoming, Tiller's offense always ranked in the top 20 in passing, and his Purdue team is among the national leaders this year.

He helped coach Marcus Harris into the NCAA record books for receiving yards and 100-yard games. The first-team All- American also won the Fred Biletnikoff Award, honoring the nation's top receiver.

So when Tiller talks about the Boilermakers top wideout, senior Brian Alford, you listen closely. Even though Alford leads the Big Ten in receiving, he's just getting started, Tiller said.

"To be frank, during two-a-days I said he's get off to a slow start," Tiller said. "I said I'd expect him to hit full stride by the fifth game of the year. He had missed spring ball, his timing was off and he wasn't used to the offense."

So what happened in Week No. 5 against Minnesota? Alford had four catches, but one went for 93 yards and another for 89 as he broke the school record with 215 yards.

Nice call, coach.

"Brian's a guy with big-play ability," Tiller said. "And really, they're different kind of plays than what he's made in the past. From watching the tapes, he used to catch some balls deep and score.

"This year, he's catching the ball short, underneath and doing a lot of damage after the catch. He's gotten better at it."

Alford, who piled up 209 yards against Toledo in the opener, needs to catch two more touchdowns to become Purdue's career leader. He's averaging 110 yards a game, ranking him ahead of receivers such as Penn State's Joe Jurevicius, Iowa's Tim Dwight and Ohio State's David Boston.

"Alford, we all know, is one of the best receivers in the country," said Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez, whose Badgers did better than anyone else in holding Alford to 54 yards on two catches.

Alford did not return phone calls to The News-Gazette.

Alford, a 6-foot-2, 188-pounder from Oak Park, Mich., became the Boilermakers' all-time leader in receiving yardage against the Gophers. His 2,462 yards put him ahead of Purdue greats Dave Young, Steve Griffin and Bart Burrell.

The difference: Those stars were catching balls from National Football League-caliber quarterbacks Mark Herrmann and Jim Everett during the late 1970s and early '80s. Alford's been doing what he can with Rick Trefzger, John Reeves and Billy Dicken.

That's certainly impressed Illinois coach Ron Turner, whose team has to deal with Alford on Saturday. Turner, who ran the Chicago Bears offense from 1993-96, said Alford has a bright future.

"It looks like he can (play in the NFL)," Turner said. "He's as good as any receiver we've gone against. Speed is the first thing. He plays with good football speed."

Illinois defensive coordinator Tim Kish has seen Alford's act before. Kish was on Gary Barnett's Northwestern staff last year when Alford caught three touchdown passes in Purdue's 27-24 loss to the Wildcats.

Alford finished with seven catches for 186 yards.,

"What makes him so good is that he's a competitor," Kish said. "He'l do what it takes for his team to win."

It's a wonder Alford's playing at all this season. After dropping out of school last spring, Alford went to junior college to regain his eligibility at Purdue.

"I think he got a real wakeup call last winter in regards to his college career," Tiller said. "He's matured and responded well. He's matured as a young guy."

Alford will not win the Biletnikoff Award. He is not among the 10 finalists named Wednesday.