IU loses bucket in blowout loss

WEST LAFAYETTE -- In the second half of Saturday's battle for the Old Oaken Bucket, Purdue decided to turn a game of football into a game of "keep away." \nThe Boilermakers' plan worked, as they held onto the ball for nearly 23 minutes in the second half en route to a 34-10 victory.\nPurdue's ability to control the tempo of the game stemmed from a combination of effective running and passing, and an uncanny ability to convert in third and fourth down situations.\nMost of the Boilermakers' success in converting on third down occurred in the first half, when they were able to capitalize on eight of 11 third down opportunities.\n"They have a really well-conceived offense, and they're really well coached," said coach Gerry DiNardo. "They made some plays on critical third-and-medium situations. That's a good situation for them because they throw and catch the ball so well."\nWhen it came to fourth down situations, Purdue's offense was even more clutch -- they converted on four of five fourth down chances, including a perfect three for three in the second half.\nThough they dominated the second half, Purdue's dedication to controlling the game's pace was evident early.\nAfter scoring quickly on their first possession, coach Joe Tiller had his offense slow down. Purdue's next touchdown came off of an 11 play, 85-yard drive that took 5:30 off of the clock, and the Boilermakers were near midfield when they scored, as the touchdown resulted from a 41-yard run by redshirt freshman running back Brandon Jones.\nThe drive featured efficient passing by sophomore quarterback Kyle Orton, who completed six of seven passes for 37 yards. The Boilermakers also converted all three third down situations that they faced.\nIU senior quarterback Gibran Hamdan said he was impressed by the Boilermakers' ability to keep the Hoosier offense off the field.\n"Their offense doesn't get enough credit for the way they can take control of a game by passing the ball," Hamdan said.\nOn their next touchdown drive, the Purdue offense took control by running the ball. Already leading 17-3, Purdue was in position to go in for the kill with 8:05 remaining in the third quarter after taking possession at the IU 29-yard line via a 23-yard punt by junior Ryan Hamre.\nThe Boilermakers method of eliminating the Hoosiers proved to be slow and torturous for the IU defense. Though they were a mere 29 yards from the end zone, Purdue held onto the ball for nearly six minutes before redshirt freshman Jerod Void punched in the score from one yard out on the eleventh play of the drive. The Boilermakers only threw one pass on the possession.\nPurdue also converted twice on fourth down on the scoring drive, including the touchdown. \nThe next time Purdue touched the ball was with 14:05 left in the fourth quarter. The quarter was almost half over by the time IU touched the ball again. The 45-yard, 13 play drive ate 5:54 off of the clock, and didn't even result in a touchdown.\nPurdue's offense finally stalled at the IU 6-yard line and settled for a 23-yard field goal by junior kicker Berin Lacevic to up their lead to 27-3.\nOnce again, Orton was Mr. Efficient for the Boilermakers, completing seven of eight passes on the drive.\nFor the game, Purdue ran 88 offensive plays and held onto the ball for 39:11. Orton completed 22 of 28 passes for 173 yards.\nPurdue's consistent ground attack produced two 100-yard rushers. Jones ran for 131 yards on 10 carries, while junior Joey Harris added 102 yards on 27 carries.\n"We couldn't get off the field," defensive coordinator Tim Kish said. "We went across the board with what we have for defensive calls, but we just couldn't get them stopped. They out-executed us"