BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana dropped another close game a weekend ago at home on Senior Day against Michigan State. With just one more game left on the schedule, Indiana turns its focus to Purdue and the battle for the Old Oaken Bucket.
Indiana (3-8, 1-7 in Big Ten play) and Purdue (3-7, 2-6 in Big Ten play) meet for the 125th time in the history of the two programs on Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Last weekend, the Hoosiers hosted the Spartans. Both teams went back-and-forth, trading touchdowns for the first three quarters of the game. A Trent Howland 4-yard touchdown rush and a Brendan Sorsby 3-yard touchdown pass to James Bomba were the only two scores of the game for the Hoosiers heading into the fourth quarter.
Heading into the final quarter of play tied at 14, the Hoosiers took their first lead of the game with 4:06 remaining in the game, as Sorsby connected with Trey Walker for an 8-yard touchdown.
However, Indiana's lead didn't last long. With 1:19 left on the clock, Katin Houser found Maliq Carr for a 36-yard score, giving the Spartans a 21-17 lead.
With just over a minute to go, Sorsby and the Hoosiers took over possession on their own 25-yard. Sorsby led his offense down the field, all the way to the Michigan State 31-yard line. With eight seconds to go, Indiana sent out its kicker, Chris Freeman, for what would have been a game-tying 48-yard field goal. The Zionsville, Indiana native missed the field goal and Indiana lost the game.
Purdue was on the road last weekend in Evanston, Illinois to take on Northwestern. The Boilermakers were kept off the scoreboard for the first 40 minutes of play, trailing the Wildcats 6-0 at the halftime intermission.
After Northwestern scored first on a 30-yard field goal to open the second half, Purdue was finally able to find the end zone on the next possession. Tyrone Tracy Jr.'s 20-yard touchdown run cut the Northwestern lead to two points with just under four minutes to go in the third quarter.
The Wildcats answered quickly, with a 52-yard touchdown pass and led the rest of the way pretty comfortably. In the end, Purdue fell 23-15.
Ahead of this week 12 matchup, here's everything you need to know to get ready for the Hoosiers to take on the Boilermakers for the Old Oaken Bucket.
Last Time They Met
In the last meeting between these two teams, Purdue came out on top 30-16.
Indiana led 7-3 at halftime behind strong play defensively. Jaylin Lucas' 71-yard touchdown run was the only time either team found the end zone in the first half. However, after starting quarterback Dexter Williams II went down with an injury in the first half, momentum seemed to shift.
In the second half, Purdue found the end zone four times, scoring 27 points in the final 30 minutes of play. On the flip side, Indiana only mustered nine second half points.
Last year's win for the Boilermakers marked Purdue's second consecutive win over the Hoosiers. The last time Indiana lost three straight Old Oaken Bucket games to Purdue was 2004-2006.
Injury Report
DBs Noah Pierre and Nic Toomer, WRs Omar Cooper Jr. and Cam Camper, as well as LB Matt Hohlt and TE Brody Foley were all listed at out on last week's pregame availability report.
RB Josh Henderson was the only Hoosier listed as questionable on Indiana's pregame availability report, although he was dressed and played against Michigan State.
During the game against Illinois, Indiana did not sustain any significant injuries.
Storylines to keep an eye on...
Can Indiana's defense put together a strong, complete performance?
For two straight weeks now, Tom Allen has shared his disappointment with the play of the Hoosiers' defense postgame. After allowing 48 points in an overtime loss to Illinois, Allen said he was not happy with how his defense played. Allen made similar comments last weekend after Indiana's defense once again struggled. The biggest issue for Indiana's defense last week was tackling. Indiana had trouble bringing Michigan State players to the ground throughout last week's matchup against the Spartans. Purdue's offense doesn't pose a unique threat to Indiana's defense and the Boilermakers haven't been great offensively all season long. However, Indiana's defense has been at its worst these past two weeks of the season. That needs to change on Saturday if Indiana want to take back the Old Oaken Bucket.
Does a win against Purdue save Tom Allen's job?
It's no secret, Indiana's head coach Tom Allen is on the hot seat after yet another disappointing season in Bloomington. The biggest road block in any potential termination of Allen's contract revolves around his massive buyout. However, would a third consecutive loos to Purdue that caps off what would be a 3-9 season be the final straw for the Hoosiers. Would that force Indiana to pull the trigger and separate with Allen? Inversely, would a win against the Boilermakers on Saturday extend another lifeline to Allen as the head coach of the Hoosiers? No matter what, there's a lot of uncertainty on Allen's future as Indiana's head coach.
Quick Hitters
Who?: Indiana (3-8, 1-7 in the Big Ten) vs. Purdue (3-8, 2-6 in Big Ten play)
When?: Saturday, November 25th, 12:00 p.m. ET
Where?: Ross-Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana
TV: Big Ten Network – Chris Vosters (play-by-play), Brock Vereen (analyst), Megan McKeown (sideline)
Radio: IU Radio Network, Don Fischer (play-by-play), Rhett Lewis (analyst), John Herrick
Vegas: Indiana -2.5, o/u 49.5
ESPN SP+: 61.6% chance of a Purdue victory
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