In a matchup that has historically favored Purdue, Indiana football has never been more dominant in the battle for the Old Oaken Bucket.
The Boilermakers had won five of the last six games and had been in sole possession of the bucket since Indiana’s last win in 2019. Overall, Purdue continues to have a sizable advantage, leading the series 77-43-6.
But if you only witnessed the most recent matchup on Saturday evening, you would have never guessed.
Indiana flat-out dominated Purdue inside of Memorial Stadium on a snowy Saturday night as they routed the Boilermakers 66-0 in their final regular season game in Bloomington. The outcome gave IU another win total record in program history, and keeps them well into the conversation for earning a spot into the College Football Playoff.
“It’s a tremendous win,” Curt Cignetti said postgame Saturday. “We certainly made a statement again. Can’t say enough about what this team, you know, has done between the white lines.”
Take one look at the stats, and Indiana’s “statement” was backed up pretty well. The Hoosiers dominated both sides of the ball, leading 582-67 in total yards. Indiana averaged 7.5 yards on each play and finished a balanced attack with 349 passing yards and 233 rush yards. The Hoosiers didn’t just control the offensive side either. IU forced five turnovers and scored 17 points off of them.
The only stat category that Indiana didn’t lead was in sacks, as both teams had two. However, when you take into account that the Hoosiers had over 13 minutes more possession than Purdue, that number could have easily reached more.
Much like the entire season, the Hoosiers had no shortage of record-breaking performances in the game as well.
IU’s point total marks the largest margin of victory for the Hoosiers in the rivalry, and the most points scored by them in the game as well. Indiana was two points off of breaking the all-time largest margin in the series set by Purdue back in 1892.
“Most of the games we played with, we’ve handled the opponent pretty well where we would have the largest margin of victory in the country,” Cignetti said. “But obviously style points are important this time of year, right. Style points are earned, right. But more than anything else, we wanted to play from the first play to the last play in a rivalry game that Indiana had not won in four or five years.”
Indiana had no shortage “style points” at the individual level.
Kurtis Rourke may have gotten himself an invite to the Heisman ceremony, finishing 23-for-31 for 349 yards and six touchdowns, which was good for his career high. Both Ty Son Lawton and Justice Ellison earned a rushing touchdown, marking the first time the Hoosiers have had multiple running backs earn 10 or more touchdowns in a season.
Elijah Sarratt worked some overtime during his Waffle House shift, finishing with eight catches for 165 yards and two touchdowns. Sarratt had over triple the amount of passing yards Purdue accumulated over the entire game (54). His total marked the most receiving yards in a Bucket game by an IU receiver.
Jailin Walker had one of the most impactful games from an Indiana linebacker in recent memory. Walker finished with five tackles, 1.5 sacks, four TFLs, an interception, and one pass breakup.
“I’ve always considered Jailin Walker an impact player,” Cignetti said. “He’s a will linebacker that can play, run and hit guys from Richmond, Virginia. He made some huge plays for us at JMU, and he’s got a nose for the football, and nobody likes playing football more than that guy. You know, he’s a tough guy to block and he can do a lot of things. He’s a great athlete.”
But the most amusing stat of them all is quite telling. James Carpenter, a defensive lineman for Indiana, took a fake punt late in the third quarter for 18 rushing yards. Carpenter beat out the Boilermakers by himself, as Purdue’s entire offense finished with 13 rushing yards on the night.
To sum it up, this year’s Bucket game looked like a complete mismatch. From inside the stadium, the game had the vibe to that of Western Illinois earlier in the season, and we all know how that went.
But Indiana’s opponent wasn’t an FCS underdog in Western Illinois. It was a Big Ten Purdue.
As a Bloomington native who has seen their fair share of Bucket games, I personally do not remember seeing such a one-sided affair in my 20-year lifetime. Usually, Purdue and Indiana are quite similar in terms of record by the end of the season, and it ends up being a fairly competitive game.
However, there are some years where the talent and coaching on one side end up making it a lopsided affair. This is easily one of those games, but it certainly wasn’t supposed to be that way. Purdue and Indiana were picked as the last two teams in the preseason Big Ten poll.
But for Indiana, the entire season has been about surpassing the expectations the nation placed on them prior to the season. But for Curt Cignetti, the head coach that shouted “Purdue sucks” during a timeout of an Indiana basketball game, this season, and domination, was possible from the get-go.
“When you got capable people that are very motivated, right, disciplined and committed, and all think alike, like they keep their eye on the bull’s eye, and there’s no personal agendas, anything is possible. You know, this group has proven that.”
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