Game Preview: Indiana vs. Purdue - storylines, how to watch - TheHoosier: Indiana Hoosiers Football & Basketball Recruiting

Indiana's 2022 football season has finally reached its end point, culminating this Saturday as it does every year with the playing of the Old Oaken Bucket game. This year's matchup presents one last chance for the seniors to make a mark, see what Indiana has with regards to the future, and of course, one last chance to win a trophy.

Tom Allen's Indiana team (4-7, 2-6 in Big Ten play) comes in fresh off the heels of the most emotional win of the season, a hard-fought victory that the Hoosiers had to scratch and claw for after falling behind multiple times. The 39-31 double overtime victory snapped a 7-game skid that had dated back to mid-September, and the once lifeless-looking Hoosiers have a pulse again.

The opposing Boilermakers (7-4, 5-3 in the B1G), coached by Jeff Brohm, have a lot to play for. Coming into the weekend, they don't have control of their own destiny, but do have an outside chance at heading to Indianapolis next week as the West division's representative for the Big Ten Championship.

Everyone's favorite war-time wooden bucket is on the line. It's all to play for on what's shaping up to be a beautiful Saturday in Bloomington. Here's a look at everything you need to know before the two heated in-state rivals square off.

Last Time They Played

Indiana traveled to West Lafayette for last year's Bucket game, and it was likely one they'd rather forget. Purdue manhandled the Hoosiers 44-7 under the grey skies above Ross-Ade Stadium.

Purdue's 446 yards trounced Indiana's 204, and the loss was the final one of one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory for the Hoosiers. IU finished the 2021 season 2-10.

Injury Updates

All eyes will be on LB Cam Jones this week, who has been out for several weeks now due to injury. He's been steadily progressing towards a possible return, so we'll see if he makes the effort in his last college game this weekend.

Otherwise, the Hoosiers appear to be mostly healthy for the final contest of the year.

Key Storylines

One last dance for Indiana's seniors

It's been a ride full of some of the highest highs and the lowest lows a program the likes of Indiana's could endure, but for a sizable chunk of the players that have laid the foundation for those great moments over the past few seasons, Saturday's outing is the last of their collegiate career.

Guys like Cam Jones, Bryant Fitzgerald, Devon Matthews, and other defensive leaders who have made their names by coming up big when the time calls say farewell as the clock strikes zero. With COVID-19 complications throwing a wrench in the eligibility constraints, there are a select few players (Tiawan Mullen, Matthew Bedford to name a couple) that will have a decision to make with regards to their futures.

Regardless of who stays and who goes, Indiana's team will never be the same after the final whistle on Saturday afternoon. It's a group that's been to two bowl games, riding a breakthrough year in 2019 and following it up with an even more impressive 2020 campaign. In the same breath, it's a group that saw the sharp fall-off that everyone else has over the past two seasons. Spittoon win aside, it's still not been a great season all things considered.

Yet, there's still something to play for, and an emotional contest is sure to come for a group eager to leave one last mark on this program. In terms of this rivalry, the way to do so is by adding a block I to the lengthy chain that the Bucket bears.

More run game dynamics on the way?

We saw a much-improved Indiana rushing attack with the insertion of Dexter Williams at quarterback, who is already slated to be back under center this week. Perhaps the most intriguing part of Indiana's win over Michigan State last week was the fashion it came in, as nearly all of the Hoosiers' offensive yards came on the ground, especially after the absence of any running game in the weeks prior.

With improved weather conditions from a week ago, we're likely to see Williams free to throw the ball a little more. In turn, that should open up more holes in the running game if it's utilized correctly versus the Boilermaker defense.

Walt Bell may have opportunities galore to get creative with the play calling on Saturday.

Embed content not availableManage privacy settings

Indiana's pass defense vs. the vaunted Purdue passing attack

There's no denying that Purdue's identity on offense is air-focused. Tom Allen called Aidan O'Connell one of the country's best quarterbacks this season, and it's hard to understate the value that sixth-year senior wideout Charlie Jones has brought to the Boilers.

The contrast in comparing his season this year to others in the past is vast considering he was apart of the Iowa offense, but he's proven to be an absolute weapon for the Boilermakers on the outside this season. His 93 receptions for 1,020 yards and 11 touchdowns have him and OSU's Marvin Harrison Jr. at the top of the conference.

It's not a favorable matchup for the Indiana defensive backs, who have struggled to keep the opponents out of the air and off the board. In fact, in some aspects, Indiana's defense is the worst in the conference against the exact type of attack Purdue will try to utilize. If O'Connell and Jones connect often on Saturday, it could be a long afternoon inside Memorial for the Hoosiers.