Game Wrap and Reaction: Purdue 35 Indiana 31

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

Opponent: Purdue Boilermakers

Location: West Lafayette, IN

Why They Played: The Hoosiers and the Boilermakers play annually for the Old Oaken Bucket as one of the Big Ten’s protected rivalries..

What The Game Meant: Records don’t matter in the Battle for the Old Oaken Bucket and this game is a chance for IU to have some momentum going into 2024 while also taking some air out of the Ryan Walters Era at Purdue.

Top Offensive Performers

E.J. Williams, WR, Indiana- Williams continued his productive end of the season with six catches for 96 yards.

Josh Henderson, RB, Indiana- Indiana finally integrated Henderson back into the pass game and the run game. He finished with 75 yards of offense with a touchdown.

Hudson Card, QB, Purdue- Card proved impossible to tackle. He ran for 85 yards and the winning score and threw for 275 yards and three more touchdowns.

George Burhenn, TE, Purdue- The freshman was Purdue’s second leading receiver with five catches for 74 yards and a touchdown.

Top Defensive Performers

Aaron Casey, LB, Indiana- Casey nearly willed the Hoosiers defense to victory single-handedly. He finished with 11 tackles and four tackles for a loss giving him 20 for the season.

Dillon Thienemman, Safety, Purdue- The freshman picked off two passes and made eight tackles.

Special Teams Performance

Indiana got a 100-yard touchdown return from Jaylin Lucas, four extra points and a nice day from punter James Evans. However, the Hoosiers kick coverage team was the weak link this afternoon 137 return yards. 

Key Stat(s)

17-3

Purdue outscored IU 17-3 in the fourth quarter to win 35-31. 

Turning Point

The turning point came when IU forced Purdue into a fourth-and-two. Purdue went for it and found a wide open receiver to get back within three at 28-25.

I Knew it Was Over When…

IU quarterback Brendan Sorsby was called for intentional grounding on fourth-and-one with just over a minute left.

Players of the Game

Jaylin Lucas, Indiana

Hudson Card, Purdue

What I took away from the game

In a month of one score games, the Hoosiers played in another and lost to finish 3-9 (1-8). It was as painful of a loss as they have had under head coach Tom Allen. IU led 28-18 at the start of the fourth quarter before being outscored 17-3 in the final stanza.

Indiana kept Purdue in the game early with three first half interceptions from Bredan Sorbsy and the defense’s failure to bring Hudson Card to the ground.

There’s not much else to say, but Indiana now enters an offseason that will be filled with major questions, including the future of their current head coach Tom Allen.

There are some dates to watch for the Hoosiers in December as well starting with the transfer portal opening on December 4th and the early signing day coming on December 20th. 

What’s Next

The Hoosiers will enter the off-season full of questions after failing to qualify for a bowl game.