In the 100th meeting for the Old Oaken Bucket, Indiana capped its season with the exact finish Coach Curt Cignetti hoped for. The Hoosiers closed out their first ever undefeated campaign with a dominant 56-3 win over Purdue, putting a cherry on top of Cignetti’s remarkable 23-2 start in Bloomington. With the victory, Indiana punched its ticket to the Big Ten Championship Game for the first time since the event was created and did it with a performance that fired on all cylinders. Even so, it was the defense that defined the night through relentless pressure and total disruption.
Indiana’s defense suffocated the Boilermakers from the opening snap and set the tone for the entire game. The unit created chaos for Purdue’s offense at every level but one Hoosier rose above the rest. Senior defensive end and Kent State transfer Stephen Daley delivered one of his most complete outings of the season. His late season surge has become impossible to ignore and Cignetti made it clear that Daley’s growth has been a major difference maker.
“Daley is a guy that just keeps getting better and better and better,” Cignetti said postgame. “He’s getting the kind of development now through nutrition, strength and conditioning, coaching, that kind of thing where you really see him start to blossom. I wish we had him for another year or two but we don’t. He’s a key player for us right now.”
Daley was a true game wrecker against Purdue’s offense. In the rivalry matchup, he racked up 6 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and a sack. It was easily his best performance as a Hoosier and another sign of the immense strides he has made since arriving on campus this summer. Daley only recently took over the starting role after Kellan Wyatt suffered a season ending injury against Michigan State, yet he has already produced more than 30 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. His impact has been nothing short of transformative as Indiana wrapped up its regular season.
“It’s kind of crazy because last year I was on a team that didn’t win a single game of 12 and now going 12 and 0,” Daley said while reflecting on his journey. “Just learning what it is to be a winner and everything like that. Just trusting the process, trusting the coaching, coach putting me in great spots, when I get to play with guys like [Aiden] Fish, [Mikail] Kamara, Wheels [Hosea Wheeler], all of them, it makes my job a lot easier.”
Daley certainly delivered a monstrous outing, but he was right that playing alongside so many high level defenders elevates the entire unit. He was not the only Hoosier who stood out. Linebacker Rolijah Hardy posted 10 tackles and a tackle for loss and continues to look like a future star for Indiana. The defense also forced two turnovers, with Amare Ferrell picking off Purdue on its opening drive and Devan Boykin diving on a loose ball later in the night. Indiana still leads the nation in turnover margin at plus 17 with 24 turnovers gained.
Indiana looked like a well oiled machine against the Boilermakers and closed the season with an exclamation point. Now 12-0, the number 2 Hoosiers head to the Big Ten Championship Game next Saturday in Indianapolis. The showdown at Lucas Oil Stadium kicks off at 8 p.m. EST and will be Indiana’s first appearance in the conference title game. Their opponent will be decided between Ohio State, Michigan, and Oregon depending on how this weekend unfolds. Undefeated Indiana basketball also plays Louisville in Indianapolis earlier that afternoon so if you have the opportunity, it may be the perfect day to catch both.