Indiana's Offense Needed all 44 Points to Cover Up Mishaps
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Image: Amanda Pavelka Hoosier Huddle
Written by Evan McShane (@very_reasonable)
The Indiana offense did just enough to win a classic edition of the Old Oaken Bucket. Behind Peyton Ramsey’s 5 total touchdowns, the Hoosiers emerged victories 44-41 in double overtime. Indiana would post 522 yards of total offense on the Boilers despite being out-gained by Purdue in yardage. IU was ultimately able to overcome penalties, injuries, and number of self-inflicted other wounds.
The story of the day on offense was Peyton Ramsey. The veteran quarterback took hit after hit and remained poised, racking up 337 passing yards on 23-of-39 attempts with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Ramsey added 42 yards and two touchdowns on the ground including the game winning QB sneak on the goal line. Freshman running back Sampson James added 118 rushing yards on 22 carries before exiting in the second half with an ankle injury. Whop Philyor had a monster game in his return with eight catches for 138 yards and two TDs.
After IU came up with a red zone interception, the Hoosiers marched down the field on their opening drive. It was an impressive 12-play 91-yard drive that spanned nearly seven minutes of gameplay. On the drive, Sampson James had a 30-yard run and on third and goal Ramsey completed an 8-yard TD pass to Whop Philyor. On their second drive, IU faced a short field of only 47 yards. Indiana would run the ball eight times on this drive, capping it off with a QB sneak from Peyton Ramsey on fourth and goal.
With a 14-3 lead, the Hoosiers squandered an opportunity to create separation. After an 11-yard scamper by James, IU went backwards on its next three plays and punted back to Purdue. On Indiana’s fourth drive, the Hoosiers looked unstoppable again. A 15-yard catch by Westbrook and a 15-yard run from Ronnie Walker Jr. had IU at midfield. Two completions later, including a 24-yard grab by Peyton Hendershot, the Hoosiers were on the three yard-line. Sampson James punched it in on a huge effort play at the goal line:
A catastrophic end to the half cost Indiana valuable points. Whop Philyor had a 38-yard run-and-catch on the first play of the drive. Two plays later Ramsey took a 12-yard sack which pushed IU out of the red zone. Logan Justus would miss his first field goal of the season, and first of three for the game, this one being a 40-yarder.
Carrying a 21-10 lead into half, IU again marched down the field and into the red zone. With first and 10 on the Purdue 19-yard line, Ramsey was sacked twice. This resulting in a fourth and 26 for the Hoosiers, forcing a punt. The very next play Indiana got the ball back after a recovering a fumble. Ramsey was sacked again and threw three straight incompletions from the Purdue 25-yard line. Logan Justus would miss his second field goal of the day, this time from 43-yards.
The Hoosiers were once again gifted a short field, still clinging to a 21-10 lead. Indiana picked up a first down to Miles Marshall on a toe-tapping catch on the sidelines to get into Purdue territory. Two plays later, Ramsey connected with a wide-open Whop Philyor for a 37-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 28-17.
Purdue answered quickly, but IU responded by marching down the field with ease. A 48-yard completion to Nick Westbrook too IU inside the red zone. For the third time, IU would come up with zero points on a red zone trip. Coach Allen opted not to go for it on fourth and two and Logan Justus missed a 26-yard field goal, ending a forgettable day for the usually sharp kicker. Another quick score from Purdue brought the score within one, 28-23. After a 21-yard jaunt on third down from Ramsey, IU found themselves in the red zone once again. The Hoosiers failed to convert and sent in their backup kicker for a 41-yard field goal. Charles Campbell nailed his second attempt after a confounding delay of game penalty negated his first.
Purdue tied the game at 31-31 just two and a half minutes later. Indiana could not answer, going three and out on three consecutive incompletions. A huge defensive stop by the Hoosiers on the ensuing drive sent the game into overtime.
The Hoosiers began the ball in OT and secured a huge third down conversion by Miles Marshall. Facing another third down, this time on the 14-yard line, Ramsey connected with Nick Westbrook on a comeback route to go ahead 38-31. The next time the Hoosier offense saw the field they trailed 41-38. After Walker Jr. took a run to the 15-yard line, Indiana faced yet another third and long. Peyton Ramsey connected with Peyton Hendershot in the middle of the field for the first down. Indiana ran a hurry-up offense and Ramsey snuck it in for the game winning score.
The mistakes were forgettable, but the win was not. Indiana was flagged for nine penalties for 84 yards compared to just one penalty called against IU. The Hoosiers missed out on a number of opportunities to put the game away. At the end of the day, nothing matters but adding another “I” to the Bucket. The Indiana Hoosiers have won five of the last seven Old Oaken Buckets. This season marks the first winning conference record for IU since 1993. Indiana has a chance to win nine games in a season for the just the third time in school history. A special season capped off with a heart-stopping victory. The Bucket returns in Bloomington.