Game Wrap and Reaction: Purdue 44 Indiana 7
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Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
Opponent: Purdue Boilermakers
Location: Saturday, November 27th, 2021
Why They Played: The Hoosiers and Boilermakers meet annually for the Old Oaken Bucket.
What The Game Meant: It was a chance for IU to end a dismal season on a high-note, but it turned into another blowout loss.
Top Offensive Performers
Peyton Hendershot, TE, Indiana- Indiana’s best offensive weapon this year had another gutsy effort against Purdue. Hendershot made six catches for 51 yards.
Aidan O’Connell, QB, Purdue-IU’s defense made O’Connell look like Peyton Manning. He completed 26-of-31 passes for 278 yards and four touchdowns.
Jackson Anthrop, WR, Purdue- Anthrop killed IU again with four catches for 68 yards and a touchdown.
Top Defensive Performers
Micah McFadden, LB, Indiana- McFadden was playing injured and finished with seven tackles.
Marcelino McCrary-Ball, DB, Indiana-McCrary-Ball finished with seven tackles, a sack and a pass breakup in his final game as a Hoosier.
Branson Deen, DL, Purdue- Deen had three tackles for loss including a sack.
Special Team Performance
Indiana’s special teams performance was lackluster at best on Saturday against Purdue. The Hoosiers did block an extra point, but failed to do much of anything else. Punter James Evans was horrid with a 34.7-yard average on six punts. McCrary-Ball and Davion Ervin-Poindexter both took ill-advised kick returns out while the normally reliable Charles Campbell missed a 40-yard field goal before half time.
Key Stat(s)
Turning Point
The turning point came when a 76-yard Hoosier pick six was called back for pass interference and Purdue scored on a 24-yard pass the next play. Intsed of being ahead 14-7 the Hoosiers trailed 14-7 and Purdue never looked back.
I Knew it Was Over When…
Charles Campbell missed a 40-yard field goal at the end of the first half.
Players of the Game
Aidan O’Connell, Purdue- O’Connell carved up an Indiana defense that played undisciplined football for four touchdowns.
Peyton Hendershot, Indiana- At times Hendershot was the only offensive player who looked like they wanted to win.
What I took away from the game
It’s over, it’s finally over. The Indiana season ended in West Lafayette with a 44-7 bashing by Purdue. The effort and toughness shown by some of the players and even the coaching staff was unacceptable. The Hoosiers again looked solid on the first drive of the game, but after that…poof, they climbed into a shell. They played undisciplined football, by senior leaders too, that gave Purdue two early touchdowns.
Now, it’s time to see if Tom Allen can climb out of the crater that was left by the asteroid that obliterated IU’s 2021 season. Will Allen make the necessary changes needed to recover from a 2-10 season? Will he be able to keep this recruiting class together and plug the holes on this team via the Transfer Portal? We shall see soon enough.
Allen and his staff hit the road recruiting Sunday and maybe by Sunday afternoon we will know exactly who is back and who is not. 2021 was beyond a disappointment, it was a downright disaster, however there is time to recover. The ‘LEO’ culture is built on accountability, toughness and love. The IU football program will need to exhibit all three of those pillars in the offseason.