Instant Reaction: Indiana 44, Purdue 41
Indiana started strong and eventually allowed Purdue to force overtime in an instant classic Old Oaken Bucket game. The Hoosiers won 44-41 to earn their first eight-win season since 1993.
Overtime
After leading by as many as 18 points in the third quarter and leading by at least two possessions until inside 10 minutes left in the game, Indiana allowed Purdue to tie the game at 31-31 and force overtime Saturday.
Indiana had the ball first and just missed on a play in the endzone with a no-call on defensive pass interference. Nick Westbrook was left open in the corner of the endzone after IU converted a third down, and scored a touchdown to take a 38-31 lead.
Purdue's first play went for a big loss, and on third down, a ball intended for one receiver, bounced off the leg of the receiver and was caught by Jackson Anthrop for a first down. Eventually, on another third down, Purdue scored a touchdown on Brycen Hopkins' second touchdown of the game.
Indiana elected to play defense first in the second overtime period and forced a field goal.
After a long pass to Peyton Hendershot, Peyton Ramsey took the ball up the middle of the defense to win the game, 44-41.
Sampson James, run game carry Hoosiers (for a short time)
While Purdue is vulnerable in rushing defense – ranking second-to-last in the Big Ten within the category – the question surrounding Indiana's rushing attack Saturday in West Lafayette was whether the Hoosiers would be able to take advantage of that vulnerability.
With running back Stevie Scott and left tackle Matt Bedford unavailable, true freshman running back Sampson James was set for his first career start, and he made his mark.
James' second carry of the game went for 30 yards, and, for Indiana's third score of the day, James bullied his way out of a pile that seemed hopeless inside the five-yard line, vaulting himself across the goal line for his third touchdown of the season.
By halftime, James had recorded 89 yards on 15 carries, pushing Indiana toward 133 total rushing yards to 116 passing yards.
For the first time this season, it appeared that Indiana would be able able to lean on its rushing attack over the course of four quarters. James led the way and eventually cracked the 100-yard mark.
But James went down with what appeared to be a lower left leg injury and would not return to the game. After his exit, Indiana turned to Peyton Ramsey, and Purdue left the Hoosier offense nearly ineffective in stretches of the second half. The running game in particular disappeared, as Indiana's rushing yards production dropped from 133 yards in the first half to just 54 in the second.
Defense crumbles in second half
Indiana surrendered 10 plays of 15 yards or more by the three-minute mark of the fourth quarter.
Big plays hurt Indiana in many ways against Michigan, and the big plays didn't stop there. Purdue was able to record its longest play from scrimmage this season – 72-yard catch-and-run by Hopkins – its longest rushing play – a 48-yard run by Zander Horvath – and its first 100-yard rusher of the year (Horvath).
Horvath is a bruising running back, so Indiana's tackling on the playmaker was weak all day and only got worse as the game went on. He came in with 213 rushing yards and nearly doubled that number Saturday with five carries of more than 15 yards.
Freshman receiver David Bell came into the game needing more than 100 yards to eclipse 1,000 on the season, and he got it – highlighted by catches of 31, 29, 19, 17 and 20 yards.
Purdue stacked two 100-yard receivers and a 100-yard rusher on top of just one penalty – none in the second half. Former walk-on quarterback Aidan O'Connell threw for more than 400 yards.
Response from secondary after Michigan
Following the debacle against Michigan last week, Indiana's secondary needed to find a positive way to respond against Purdue, the second-best passing attack in the conference.
Playing against former walk-on quarterback Aidan O'Connell, who played well against Wisconsin's third-0best conference passing defense, the Indiana defense started well, as sophomore husky Jamar Johnson intercepted O'Connell in the endzone on the opening drive.
But hints of secondary struggles snowballed into serious problems in the second half.
Marcelino Ball had two first-half coverage penalties, including a defensive pass interference that pulled Purdue into field goal range – it missed the field goal. A breakdown in the back of the secondary allowed Purdue tight end Brycen Hopkins to streak 72 yards down the field after beating Cam Jones on his route.
As the game moved along, the Indiana secondary continued to deteriorate. After surrendering just 116 passing yards in the first half, the Hoosiers gave up five plays of 17 yards or more by the 9:00 mark in the fourth quarter.
Two acrobatic plays by David Bell didn't help Indiana's efforts, as the former Indiana recruiting target hit the 1,000-yard mark for his first collegiate season Saturday.
Reese Taylor, who got his first career start Saturday, was one of the few defensive backs who came out of the game with a positive grade, making a good play on an overtime sweep.
Logan Justus struggles
Logan Justus entered the season finale as one of three kickers with perfect field goal percentages and ended the game outside the top-20, as he missed three field goals.
The misses came from 43, 40 and 26 yards out. The conditions – rain and wind – weren't primed for kicking, but Justus has been regarded as one of the best kickers in the country for a majority of the season.
Indiana elected to go with Charles Campbell on the fourth field goal attempt, and the kicker connected from 36 and 41 yards out after a delay of game penalty forced him to hit a second field goal with five minutes left in the game.
Justus came back into the game for the extra point after the touchdown in the first overtime period.
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