The Indiana Hoosiers will seek to end their season on a high note as they take on their in-state rival, the Purdue Boilermakers, with the Old Oaken Bucket on the line. With seven wins on the season, Indiana has already secured bowl eligibility while Purdue has been eliminated from bowl contention (coming into the game with seven losses).
Who lines up at running back for the Hoosiers?
One of the major storylines to emerge from last week’s disappointing loss to Michigan was the health of Indiana running back Stevie Scott. Scott left the contest late with what appeared to be a knee injury, and his status for Purdue has remained up in the air.
Scott has graded out to be Indiana’s top rusher by a significant margin, and his rushing grade of 77.4 according to PFF (64 is about average) is the only member of Indiana’s stable of running backs to grade out above average. If Scott can’t go, look to Ronnie Walker (grade of 56.2) and Sampson James (grade of 56.3) to get most of the carries in his absence.
Regardless of who lines up for Indiana in the backfield, the Hoosiers should have the advantage in the trenches. The Boilermakers run defense has been awful this season, ranking dead last in the Big Ten while allowing nearly five yards per carry on the ground.
