For the fourth consecutive season, IU will take on Purdue with a 5-6 record and a bowl bid on the line. After keeping its bowl hopes alive with a win over Maryland two weeks ago, IU squandered its first chance at a sixth win in a 31-20 loss at Michigan last Saturday.
This week, the Hoosiers face off with the Boilermakers in the 121st Old Oaken Bucket game. Here’s what you need to know about Purdue.
1. Both teams are in the same situation.
Three weeks ago, it looked like Purdue would be in contention for a Big Ten West division title after knocking off Iowa in a 38-36 thriller. However, the last two Saturdays have told a completely different story.
The Boilermakers laid an egg in Minneapolis against Minnesota, losing 41-10 in their worst performance of the year. Purdue returned home a week later and dropped its second straight game, this time in a triple-overtime loss to the Wisconsin Badgers. As a result, the Boilermakers come into the Old Oaken Bucket game in the exact same position as the Hoosiers — needing one more win to reach a bowl game.
This will be the second straight season that both Purdue and IU are 5-6 heading into the final game of the year. Last season, Purdue was the one headed home happy as it snapped a four-game IU winning streak in the Bucket game. Facing the same situation as last year, IU Coach Tom Allen has stressed the importance of changing the result of this game.
"Once again, just like last year, it all comes down to playing for the bucket and playing for an opportunity to go to a bowl game,” Allen said. “A lot is on the line, and our players understand that.”
2. Wide Receiver Rondale Moore will be tough to defend.
On opening night of the 2018 college football season, Purdue freshman Rondale Moore announced his arrival on the national scene. Despite the Purdue's 31-27 loss to the Northwestern Wildcats, Moore’s performance in front of a national TV audience caught the attention of the entire nation. In his college debut, Moore racked up 188 total yards and scored two touchdowns, including an electrifying 76-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter.
“He’s just a very difficult young man to scheme for, and they try to get him the ball in creative ways,” Allen said. “He’s a tremendously talented young man that will be a big challenge for our whole football team to defend.”
After his headline-grabbing first game, Moore proved that he wasn’t a one-hit wonder. He’s already eclipsed the 1000-receiving yard mark and has four games with more than 10 catches. After two average games against Michigan State and Iowa, Moore bounced back and has combined for 190 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the past two weeks against Minnesota and Wisconsin. A week after IU gave up an average of 15.6 yards per completion against Michigan, Allen and the IU defense will have their hands full with Moore, who has become one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the Big Ten.
3. Purdue’s defense has struggled this season.
As explosive as the Purdue offense has been, the Boilermakers' defense has been giving up points as fast as they can score them. Through the first 11 games, Purdue is giving up just less than 30 points per game and around 450 yards of total offense. A lot of the Boilermakers' struggles have come against the run, where they have conceded 4.4 yards per rush and nearly 170 yards per game. With freshman running back Stevie Scott coming off back-to-back 100 or more yard performances, look for IU to try and establish the ground game early against this Purdue defense.
As bad as Purdue is against the running game, things don’t get much better when opposing teams throw the ball either. The Boilermakers are currently ranked 117th in the nation in passing yards allowed, giving up just over 270 yards per game and almost 12 yards per completion. With both defenses struggling to stop their opponents from moving the ball, this could be one of the highest-scoring Old Oaken Bucket games in recent memory.
