Indiana football wraps up first perfect regular season in Purdue rout

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WEST LAFAYETTE — Indiana football completed its journey from the basement of the Big Ten to the penthouse on Friday night with a 56-3 win over Purdue in the 100th Old Oaken Bucket Game.

The No. 2 Hoosiers (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) clinched a spot in the Big Ten title game and finished the regular season with a perfect record for the first time. This is also the first time the Old Oaken Bucket is staying in Bloomington in consecutive years since IU won four straight in the rivalry from 2013-2016.

Indiana has now outscored the Boilermakers 114-3 over the last two seasons, and the starters didn't even play into the fourth quarter at Ross-Ade Stadium on Nov. 28.

Indiana football’s rushing attack stays warm in West Lafayette 

Cignetti laughed off a question about Fernando Mendoza struggling in the cold weather earlier this week  — it was the coldest Bucket game in history with a 24-degree temperature at kickoff, according to Purdue’s sports information department — but the Miami native who spent two seasons at Cal didn’t look to be enjoying the conditions.

Mendoza, who is completing 73% of his passes this season, nearly threw an interception on his first pass attempt and it wasn't his only near turnover. He was forcing throws to targets in coverage and held onto the ball too long in the pocket without Purdue getting the kind of pressure that was the source of his (brief) struggles earlier this season.

He was 8 of 15 for 117 yards with two touchdowns, but went into halftime 5 of 12 for 42 yards.

Indiana switched gears and put the ball in the hands of their talented running back duo, Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black, and the game plan proved successful. They had more combined rushing yards in the first half (182) than Purdue had in total offense (147) and scored three touchdowns.

The running backs got IUI's offense back on track with a methodical 11-play, 65-yard drive that featured seven runs. Hemby carried the ball on four straight plays at one point to set up a 7-yard touchdown run from Mendoza.

They broke the game open by adding to their highlight reel — Black busted out a nasty spin move on a 16-yard touchdown that left a Purdue defender laying on the ground helplessly grabbing at the air while Hemby broke an 82-yard touchdown down the sideline before halftime to give IU a 28-3 lead. 

It was tied for the longest run by an Indiana player in the history of the Old Oaken Bucket Game. 

Hemby had 12 carries for 152 yards with a touchdown — it was his first 100-yard rushing performance since the season opener — and Black had 13 carries for 66 yards with two scores. They each had just three carries in the second half.

Indiana football’s defensive line throws up a road block against Purdue

With IU’s offense struggling to get in a rhythm, the defensive line helped turn the difficulty level down a notch. The offense had three possessions start on Purdue’s side of the 50-yard line in the first half. 

The Hoosiers' defensive line looked refreshed after the off week and created the kind of havoc that has become the group’s calling card under defensive coordinator Bryant Haines. 

They were effective against the run with Stephen Daly continuing to be a one-man wrecking crew with 4.5 of the team's 10 tackles for a loss. Daley, who came into the game tied for the lead in the Big Ten with 13.5 tackles for a loss, came off the edge multiple times to blow up a rushing attempt right after the exchange. 

Daley also forced a fumble in the second half at midfield.

Indiana’s defensive line didn't make life easy on Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne either. They were bursting through the line of scrimmage with such ease that they were getting to the ball on backfield screens before the ball even reached its target. 

Browne spent much of the game scrambling for his life and struggled to throw the ball with any kind of accuracy while making off-balanced throws on the run. 

Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Indiana football routs Purdue, headed to Big Ten title game

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