Hoosiers Blow Late Lead Hand Boilers 35-31 Win and Old Oaken Bucket

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Written by: TJ Inman

The Indiana Hoosiers and Purdue Boilermakers both entered today’s game in West Lafayette at 3-8, knowing they would not be going to a bowl game and knowing the season would end after today’s contest. Regardless of the lack of success for either team, it’s always important to beat Purdue and win the Old Oaken Bucket. There were plenty of mistakes and the reasons for IU and Purdue being 3-8 this season were on full display but the two sides battled all afternoon in a tightly-contested game. As has been the case so often during the past few seasons, IU led most of the game but found a way to lose as Purdue prevailed 35-31.

The contest began inauspiciously for the Hoosiers as a third down pass by Brendan Sorsby sailed past a pair of IU receivers and was intercepted by Dillon Thieneman. The freshman returned it to the IU 12-yard line but Indiana’s defense resisted and forced a 30-yard field goal attempt that was well wide of the uprights to keep the game scoreless. Indiana’s offense made another critical mistake as a long pass was dropped by DeQuece Carter and the Hoosiers punted without picking up a first down. The Boilermakers punted right back to IU as both offenses struggled to find any traction, trading punts for most of the first quarter. That changed for the Hoosiers as Indiana picked up a trio of third downs and Sorsby threw a laser to Carter for a 34-yard touchdown to put IU on the board. The Indiana defense had several chances to end Purdue’s next drive but poor tackling allowed freshman tight end George Burhenn to jog into the end zone for his first career touchdown. The extra point snap was dropped to make the score 7-6 in favor of IU. Jaylin Lucas had a solid kick return and Indiana’s field position was aided by a late hit on the Boilermakers so the possession began in Purdue territory. The Hoosiers made quick work of it with Sorsby connecting with Donaven McCulley for the score to go ahead 14-6. Indiana turned the ball over two more times with terrific interceptions made by Purdue and the Boilers cut the deficit to two points with only 12 seconds remaining as Hudson Card threw a touchdown to Drew Biber. The Boilermakers went for two and failed so the teams went to the locker room with IU leading 14-12.

The Boilermakers began the second half with good field position after a kick return to near midfield and a pass interference penalty by Kobee Minor set them up in scoring position. IU forced a field goal attempt and Ben Freehill knocked it through to put Purdue ahead 15-14. The lead lasted all of 12 seconds as Jaylin Lucas exploded for a 100-yard kick return touchdown to vault IU back ahead 21-15. The Boilers again moved into field goal territory on their next possession and Freehill hit a 44-yarder to cut the lead to 21-18. The teams traded possessions before IU’s drive was kept alive by a Purdue offsides penalty that gave the Hoosiers a first down. They capitalized with an excellent drive that ended with Brendan Sorsby’s third touchdown pass, this one to Josh Henderson on a screen pass. With Indiana leading 28-18, Purdue faced a fourth and short on the first play of the fourth quarter. IU’s defense went to sleep and allowed Purdue’s Devin Mockobee to slip into the secondary. Hudson Card lobbed the ball to the wide open running back and he walked in for a touchdown to cut make it 28-25. IU went three and out and the terrible tackling by the Indiana defense continued, allowing Card to escape a sack on third down to complete a pass for a first down. Injuries mounted for the IU defense and the Boilermakers marched into scoring territory. Jamier Johnson stepped up and made a key pass breakup on third down, forcing another field goal from Ben Freehill. The game was tied at 28 with 8:41 remaining. IU began its next drive at the 30-yard line and Sorsby threw to EJ Williams for a 19-yard gain to begin the possession. After a run by Josh Henderson, the Hoosiers ran the same play and went back to Williams for another nice gain. IU played it conservatively, running the ball three times and settling for a 39-yard field goal. Chris Freeman nailed it to give IU the 31-28 lead with 5:09 left in the contest. The ensuing kickoff rolled out of bounds so Purdue began the possession at the 35-yard line. On the very first play of the drive, Deion Burks ran past Kobee Minor for a 44-yard gain to get Purdue moving. Three plays later, Hudson Card ran up the middle on a quarterback draw for a ten-yard touchdown to give Purdue the lead 35-31 with 2:39 to play. Josh Henderson surged forward for a first down plus Purdue was called for a targeting penalty to move IU into Purdue territory. Brendan Sorsby ran for nine yards but IU failed to pick up a yard on second or third down. With 1:20 remaining in the game, Brendan Sorsby was brought down and called for intentional grounding on fourth and one. Purdue took the ball and the Boilermakers won the Old Oaken Bucket for the third straight season.

-Key Takeaways-

  • IU was 1-11 on third down. Despite major positives on offense, they were unable to sustain drives consistently.

  • The Hoosiers had three turnovers plus a turnover on downs, making them minus-four in the turnover margin department.

  • Indiana had 13 tackles for loss but also exhibited awful tackling on several occasions.

  • This game was a perfect summation of the season and of the past few seasons under Tom Allen. IU found a way to lose.

  • Aaron Casey was a warrior all season and deserved more than a 3-9 record. He had 11 tackles including four TFLs.

-Stats To Know-

  • Purdue outgained IU 453 to 369 but the Hoosiers were slightly better in yards per play (5.7 to 5.6).

  • The IU defense did a great job against Purdue’s running backs but allowed Hudson Card to run for 85 yards plus the game-winning touchdown.

The season ends at 3-9 with a 1-8 Big Ten record and the Hoosiers are again in the absolute basement in the conference. Where does the Indiana administration go from here and has Tom Allen coached his last game in Bloomington? Hoosier Huddle will have continuing coverage as IU turns to the offseason.