Game Wrap and Reaction: Indiana vs. Purdue
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Stephen Houston helped bring the Bucket back to Bloomington with a big final game.
Written By Sammy Jacobs (@sammyj108)
Opponent: Purdue Boilermakers
Location: Saturday November 30th /3:30pm/ Memorial Stadium/ (Bloomington, Indiana)
Why They Played: The Hoosiers and Boilers meet for the 116th time in their history in the Battle for the Old Oaken Bucket and a Leaders Division matchup. Purdue leads the series 72-37-6 over Indiana.
What The Game Meant:
This game is always a big one as the two teams battle for the Old Oaken Bucket. This year that is all they were playing for, as both teams were not bowl eligible. Indiana was trying for their fifth win of the year and Purdue was trying to get off the matt in Big Ten play.
Top Offensive Performers:
Stephen Houston, RB, Indiana- The senior running back ended his career as a Hoosier with another monster game against the Boilermakers. Houston rushed for 120 yards and two scores on 17 carries. He also added a 12-yard reception.
Shane Wynn, WR, Indiana- The dynamite receiver scored three touchdowns through the air in the win for the Hoosiers while racking up 168 all-purpose yards. He played a role in every phase of the game, running the ball, catching seven passes and returning kicks.
Tre Roberson, QB, Indiana- Roberson started and finished the game for the Hoosiers, and rewarded the coaching staff with a career day. The sophomore threw for 273 yards and six touchdowns, while also running for a career high 154 yards. He had command of the offense, despite throwing two bad picks.
Danny Etling, QB, Purdue- The freshman quarterback had his best game of the year, throwing for over 400 yards and four touchdowns. Yes, it was against a beleaguered Indiana defense, but 400 yards is still 400 yards.
Top Defensive Performers
David Cooper, LB, Indiana- The junior linebacker created havoc in the Purdue backfield early, recording two sacks and nine total tackles. He was one of the main reasons IU could jump out to a 49-9 lead.
Ricardo Allen, CB, Purdue- The future NFL player had two picks for the Boilers and added on 11 total tackles. His second pick came in the end zone and set up Etling’s 80-yard touchdown strike.
Special Team Performance:
The Hoosiers special teams played their best all-around game of the year. They blocked an extra point early to kill Purdue’s momentum, and Erich Toth’s only punt went for 53 yards. Mitch Ewald connected on all eight extra points in his final game of his career. Shane Wynn and Anthony David averaged 25.2 yards per return.
Key Stat:
31
The rushing yards gained by Purdue rushers against the Hoosier defense. Yes, the defense gave up 485 yards passing, but the Boilermakers just could not get anything going on the ground.
Turning Poin-
Purdue scored a touchdown to cut the lead to 14-6 when a Hoosier defensive lineman got a paw up and blocked the extra point, quelling any momentum the Boilermakers may have picked up.
I Knew it Was Over When…
Ted Bolser hauled in a 2-yard touchdown pass to make the score 49-9 Hoosiers with 5:54 left in the third. Apparently Kevin Wilson thought it was over as well and looked like the Hoosiers relaxed a bit.
Players of the Game
Indiana– Tre Roberson, Quarterback- The duel threat sophomore quarterback accounted for six touchdowns and 427 total yards of offense while completing 25 of his 37 passes for the Hoosiers
Purdue- Danny Etling, Quarterback- The freshman signal caller threw for a career high 485 yards and four scores. It would have been easy for the youngster to call it a day after falling behind 49-9.
What I took away from the game
The Hoosiers won their first Bucket game under head coach Kevin Wilson and the game was not as close as the 56-36 score indicates. The Hoosiers raced out to a 14-point lead and took a 35-9 lead into halftime, and lead 49-9 late in the third quarter. Indiana looked like they relaxed a little bit and kind of took their foot off the pedal when Wilson inserted Cam Coffman at quarterback. Regardless of what outside opinions are, this is a nice win for the Hoosiers. Bringing home the Bucket and top last year’s win total will help in recruiting. Doug Mallory’s run as the head of the defense is likely over as the Hoosiers did let up 36 points to a team that came into the game averaging just 13 points per game. However, if Indiana does not pony up for a quality coordinator they might as well just keep him. The Hoosiers have had their ups and downs in 2013 and it is always great to end the year with a W, and we at Hoosier Huddle have enjoyed every moment of bringing you stories and news about this year’s team. So we ride off into the off season with the Bucket in hand and the Victory Flag flying