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Purdue defensive end Ryan Kerrigan grins sheepishly when asked about his ''Superman'' nickname.
''I don't really know where it stems from,'' he said. ''Maybe it stems from the demeanor I have on the field versus the demeanor off. It's flattering. ... It's kind of embarrassing in a way.''
The senior captain from Muncie, Ind., carries himself much like Superman's mild-mannered alter-ego, Clark Kent, off the field. On the field, it's a different story. He has 25 sacks and 45 tackles for loss in 42 games heading into Saturday's game at No. 11 Ohio State.
Former Boilermaker and current Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Mike Neal gave Kerrigan the ''Superman'' moniker, and it has stuck.
''It has a lot to do with the way he plays,'' Purdue coach Danny Hope said. ''He can do anything from a player standpoint. He can go longer and harder than most. He's faster than most. He's bigger than most. Stronger than most. Smarter than most. Better looking than most. He's Superman. He's our Superman.''
Kerrigan ranks second nationally in tackles for loss (2.33 per game) and leads the Big Ten in sacks and forced fumbles.
He's looked otherworldly when he's played Ohio State. In 2008, he had two sacks, but Ohio State won 16-3. Last year, he had three sacks and two forced fumbles in Purdue's 26-18 upset victory.
Another big performance against the Buckeyes this week could propel the Boilermakers (4-2, 2-0 Big Ten) to a 3-0 conference start for the first time since 2003.
''We've got some guys (in the Big Ten) that you better understand that they're everywhere,'' Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. ''So, I mean, he did some real damage against us a year ago. And so we've got to - we've got to have an answer for that one.''
The Buckeyes look forward to the challenge.
''As an offensive tackle, you love that kind of thing,'' Ohio State's Mike Adams said. ''We're football players, we love to compete. We're Buckeyes. To me, that means we're not afraid of any challenge. You kind of like the challenge, you take it as a chance to step your game up and see how you fit with the best.''
At 6-foot-4 and 263 pounds, Kerrigan bench presses 475 pounds, yet has the speed to track down running backs.
''He's very explosive, very strong, very fast for his size,'' Purdue quarterback Rob Henry, who has seen plenty of Kerrigan in practice, said. ''Just overall, just a freak of nature. It's extremely hard for one guy to be able to block him. I haven't seen it yet.''
Kerrigan sees all kinds of efforts to stop him.
''People slide the protection that way where that way, he has someone facing him regardless of what gap he comes in,'' Hope said. ''People double-team him with the linemen. They double-team him with the backs. They double-team him with the tight end. They do everything that you can possibly do to try to slow him down some.
''It creates opportunities for everyone else, but I would have some kind of game plan too if I was playing against him. You know, run away from him a lot.''
Kerrigan has gotten used to the dramatic efforts offenses will make to contain him.
''You've just got to keep swinging,'' he said. ''It's a battle every Saturday. It's like coach Hope says - just keep on fighting and keep on playing hard and good things will come.''
Even when Kerrigan doesn't make the play, he changes the game.
''You know, he's not all the time landing your punches,'' he said. ''You know, he's getting close enough just to swing them. It can impact the play of a quarterback. Even though he didn't accrue any sacks this past Saturday, he still applied pressure on the quarterback. So I think he always plays very well. His play last year and almost every Saturday impacts the outcome of the game.''
Kerrigan consistently speaks positively about his teammates and takes responsibility when things don't go well for the Boilermakers. After having a sack, a forced fumble, a safety and two tackles for loss in a 23-12 loss at Notre Dame, Kerrigan said he needed to do a better job of pressuring the quarterback. In actuality, he had Irish quarterback Dayne Crist on the run the entire game.
''He's a team first guy,'' Hope said. ''With all the accolades and all the great things that he does and all the great qualities that he possesses, he always puts the team and the teammates first, 100 percent of the time. He really does. That's really impressive to me.''
