Bucket Week Inside The Numbers: The Biggest Number on the Day is Six (Wins)

Written by Lauralys Shallow

Indiana will host Purdue in a battle for the annual Old Oaken Bucket. The Boilermakers are coming off a triple overtime loss at Wisconsin while IU is coming off a loss at No. 4 Michigan. Here is a closer look inside the numbers of this rivalry.

Six: I have to start with the biggest storyline heading into this matchup: both Indiana and Purdue need a sixth win for a bowl bid. The winner will go bowling while the losers will be watching from the couch. The Old Oaken Bucket game is quite literally win or go home. For the second season in a row, Indiana (5-6,2-6) and Purdue (5-6,4-4) are facing off for bowl eligibility. Last year, Purdue beat IU 31-24 in West Lafayette to claim the Old Oaken Bucket and earned a bid to the Foster Farms bowl. Purdue beat Arizona 38-35 to claim its third bowl win in program history. In 2002, 2011, 2012 and 2017, Purdue needed to win the Bucket game in order to reach a bowl, and Purdue won all four of those games. In 2006, 2015, 2016 and 2017, IU needed to win the Bucket to reach a bowl, and IU went 2-2, winning in 2015 and 2016 and losing in 2006 and 2017. IU’s 18 seniors on the roster want to end their career with a win over their rival, and it is going to be interesting to see the two teams duke it out for a sixth win, a bowl and the Old Oaken Bucket. 

14: Purdue’s true freshman wide receiver Rondale Moore is an offensive juggernaut.  Moore is ranked 14th in the nation in receiving yards, and his 1023 yards make him the top freshman receiver in the country. Moore is the only freshman in the FBS ranked inside the top 50 in receiving yards. The 2017 Gatorade Kentucky Player of the Year is hard to bring down because his size and speed makes him difficult to defend. Moore’s 91 receptions lead the team, and he has a chance to reach or break the 100 catch mark in Bloomington on Saturday. The Louisville native averages 11.2 yards per catch, and he is Purdue’s main play maker. As the focal point of Purdue’s offense, if Moore is having a good day, then the Purdue offense will probably have a good day. Moore is going to catch passes against IU. He is simply too good not to make catches. However, if the IU defense can prevent Moore from making big plays, the Purdue offense will not be nearly as productive. The Hoosiers cannot allow Moore to get the ball in open space because he is a hard guy to bring down once he sees any open grass in front of him. Moore is one of the best receivers to play for Purdue in years, and his physicality and speed is going to be a challenge for the IU defense.

1,000: In last week’s 31-20 loss at No. 4 Michigan, true freshman running back Stevie Scott eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the season after rushing for 139 yards and a touchdown against the Wolverines. Scott has 1,033 rushing yards on the year so far, which is the most ever by a true freshman at Indiana. His performance against Michigan was his fifth 100-yard game this season, and he and Peyton Ramsey’s ability to use their feet were the reason IU was able to put up 20 points and gain 385 yards of offense against the best defense in the country. Scott has to have a good day if the offense wants to have a good day. If IU cannot establish its running game, it’s offense becomes one dimensional. Ramsey often has to resort to check down throws for 3-4 yards, which results in punts not points. It is imperative that the IU offense feeds Scott early and often because once he gets going, the entire offense follows suit.