In its seventh straight losing season, all IU had left to play for came down to 65 yards.
The Hoosiers got the ball back with 3:19 on the clock, the game tied at 16 in a battle against Purdue for the Old Oaken Bucket.
The last time IU needed a scoring drive in the final minutes, junior quarterback Nate Sudfeld was leading the offense. It was week four. Sudfeld marched the Hoosiers 75 yards down the field to go ahead of, and eventually beat, then-No. 18 Missouri 31-27.
Saturday, it was a different quarterback but with the same result.
Freshman quarterback Zander Diamont led an IU scoring drive, capped off with a touchdown himself, and the Hoosiers beat the Boilermakers 23-16 at Memorial Stadium.
It’s the first time in 20 years that IU has won the Bucket in back-to-back seasons.
“Especially after this season, it hasn’t been easy for us,” Diamont said. “We’ve overcome a lot of adversity. Just kind of having this moment with my teammates to celebrate, it means the world. It felt good.”
It was a redemption of sorts for Diamont.
A season that began with promise was stymied when Sudfeld suffered a season-ending shoulder injury against Iowa on Oct. 11.
The Hoosiers then lost second-string quarterback Chris Covington to an injury the following week, and the leadership of the offense was left in Diamont’s hands.
He was first thrown into action against Michigan State. A quarterback who was expected to redshirt this season, Diamont was taking his first college snaps against the then-No. 8 team in the country.
No one knew exactly what to expect from the true freshman, but the expectations were low. It was no longer an offense that had the dual-threat of Nate Sudfeld’s arm and Tevin Coleman’s legs.
Diamont was scrutinized as IU went from a 3-2 team with bowl potential, to a 3-8 team that IU fans have become all too familiar with.
But Saturday, the Hoosiers’ six-game losing streak came to an end.
And for the first time since becoming the starter, Diamont helped give IU fans a reason to cheer.
“He’s got some grit,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “He’s tough. He’s competitive. He gave us a chance to win that game today.”
With 27 seconds left in the game, Diamont scored the game’s final touchdown from one yard out.
That came at the end of a nearly seamless drive that began with two rushes by Tevin Coleman. Coleman finished with 130 yards on his way to becoming the 18th player in FBS history to eclipse the 2,000-yard mark in a ?single season.
Then, on third down, Diamont completed a pass to Nick Stoner for six yards. Stoner was kept out the last two weeks with a hamstring injury but had four big receptions for 40 yards on Saturday.
After one final 9-yard run from Coleman, senior running back D’Angelo Roberts came into the game. And he brought just the energy IU needed.
Playing in the final game of his career, Roberts had 14- and 15-yard rushes to take the Hoosiers to the 1-yard line.
“He’s a special player and, aside from that, he’s just a great dude off the field,” Diamont said. “He’s really one of the leaders on this team, so to drive down the field with him was special for me.”
With Diamont’s touchdown and the extra point, IU took a 7-point lead. That completed a 20-3 run by the Hoosiers, to bring them back from being down 13-3 in the third quarter.
Purdue couldn’t do anything with its final possession, and the game was over.
The win was IU’s first in conference play this season, but it was the win that meant the most to a group of seniors who didn’t get to play in a bowl game during their IU careers.
They wanted to go out with a win.
“I respect this senior class,” Wilson said. “A lot of people would’ve cashed it in. These guys didn’t.”
