Indiana football beats Purdue, sends final message to CFP committee

December 1, 2024

BLOOMINGTON — Purdue could have used one of the white towels IU Football hands out before games.

The No. 10 Hoosiers (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten) made a statement before the College Football Playoff committee with a 66-0 victory over the Boilermakers (1-11, 0-9).

It was IU’s most lopsided win ever in the series – the previous record was the team’s 52-7 win in 1988 – and the first shutout in the series since 1945 (26-0). It was the first shutout ever in the series since Purdue won 40-0 on November 21, 1970.

IU grades vs. Purdue:Hoosiers do just about everything right in historic blowout

Indiana ended a three-game losing streak in the Old Oaken Bucket game and won both trophy games for only the sixth time in program history.

Starting quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who came out of the game in the final 10 minutes, had 349 passing yards with six passing touchdowns, the most of his career, while the defense forced five turnovers and held Purdue to fewer than 100 yards of total offense. It was the first time since a game against Rutgers in 2019 that the Hoosiers held an FBS opponent to fewer than 100 yards rushing (75 yards allowed).

IU Football’s defense smelled blood in the water

Purdue’s only shot from over midfield faltered late in the second quarter when Hudson Card threw an incompletion on third down. Card had no choice – he was shot at from all directions and still managed to take a seismic hit. Indiana defensive end Mikail Kamara hit him in the back while linebacker Jailin Walker came over the top.

It was representative of how the entire game went for Purdue’s offense.

Wherever the Boilermakers went with the ball, several IU defenders were ready to make a play. Their longest gain was a 16-yard completion that was nearly blocked.

Card was replaced after halftime by Ryan Browne, who fumbled his first snap at his own 19-yard line. Purdue’s offense didn’t have a first down on the first five series he was in the game and he didn’t complete a single pass in that span.

Purdue had more negative plays (four) in the third quarter than ones that produced positive yards. The Boilermakers finished the quarter with minus-6 yards rushing.

The IU football offense breaks out of the crisis in record fashion

Purdue corner Nyland Green chose the wrong moment to lose sight of Elijah Sarratt.

With IU secured in its own end zone, Sarratt slipped through the Boilermakers’ secondary and there was no safety down low. Rourke immediately recognized the mistake and threw a fairly long ball at his favorite target. Sarratt won a race down the sideline and scored an 84-yard score to open the game. It was the fifth-longest passing play in IU history and the 99-yard drive set a program record.

It was a welcome sight for Indiana fans worried about a Hoosiers passing attack that was in the midst of a lull.

Some pass protection issues cropped up early, but they didn’t last and Rourke had the time he needed to pick Purdue apart. He had one of his best halves of the season with 219 passing yards (14 of 17) and two touchdowns and then topped himself in the second half with four more touchdown passes, all aimed at different targets.

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