Bucket Week Matchup to Watch: Indiana's Defense vs. Rondale Moore

Written by Rylie Kyhn

This is the game. The game that determines which team will go to a bowl game and which team will be at home for the month of December. The same exact situation that the Hoosiers and Boilermakers were in just a year ago, both teams just one win away from bowl eligibility. Not only is this for bowl eligibility, but it is also for the Old Oaken Bucket, which is given to the winner of the match-up each year.

Last year, Purdue snapped a four-game losing streak and took the bucket back from the Hoosiers after they defeated them 31-24 in West Lafayette. The difference this season, the Bucket game matchup is in Bloomington, at Memorial Stadium where the Boilermakers haven’t been victorious since 2011.

This season, Purdue has a total threat player in true-freshman Rondale Moore and they are going to have to find a way to slow him down if they want a chance at winning on Saturday, which is why this week’s matchup to watch is Rondale Moore vs. the Indiana defense. Moore is a threat in every aspect of the scoring game. He leads the team in all purpose yards by a landslide with 1,894 and averages 172.2 a game. He dominates the team in all categories, receiving yards (1,023), touchdowns (11), kick return yards (599), punt return yards (82), and is the third leading rusher as well.

Moore is incredibly fast and difficult to tackle which means once the ball is in his hands, it could go badly for any opponent. The Indiana defense is going to need to try to limit the number of touches Moore will get because that will lead to less offensive production. The pass defense has been questionable this season so a strong passing game and a receiver like Moore could wreak havoc on this defense if they can’t contain him.

Indiana head coach Tom Allen described Moore as, “hard to tackle. Breaks a lot of tackles. Just runs hard, and they get him the ball a lot, and they should. Just very difficult young man to scheme for, and they try and get him the ball all different creative ways, and special teams, as well.”

The Indiana defense performed impressively last weekend against the high-powered Michigan offense only allowing two touchdowns despite Michigan being in the red zone eight times. Although they held Michigan in the red-zone, they did give up over 500 yards which cannot happen this week if they want to beat Moore and the Boilermakers. Takeaways are going to play a huge factor as they always do. Indiana ranks first in the Big Ten and sixth nationally with 25 takeaways on the season and they are going to need them this weekend.

Moore is a playmaker and they are going to need to know where he is on the field at all times. If the Hoosiers can contain Moore in every aspect of his game, they are going to shut down a key piece to Purdue’s scoring game which is going to be part of the key to walking away with the Old Oaken Bucket and bowl eligibility.