Battle For The Bucket: Indiana Defeats Purdue 34-31 In Thrilling Overtime Classic

Purdue fans are waking up feeling more than a little down today. Their 4-8 season was mired by injuries, inconsistent play, and losing games they still should have won. Travis Miller, blogger at Hammer & Rails and editor here for SB Nation Indiana, sums the season and the Bucket Battle game up best:

I have to give credit to Indiana. They played like they wanted it more. The key sequence of the game was their drive just before halftime. Down 21-7, we twice got a third down stop only to keep their drive alive with a pass interference penalty. They were close calls, especially the second one when, it looked like to me, our defender did not touch the receiver and merely put his hands up to knock the ball down without turning around. They were called though. You have to recover and get a stop. These bailouts allowed the Hoosiers to score a critical touchdown before the half and seize the momentum.

Check out H&R anytime for great news and info on Purdue sports. With the basketball team losing last night as well, Boilermakers fans might have to refer to this past Saturday as ‘Black Saturday’ going forward. Travis again:

This entire program needs an overhaul and an attitude adjustment. Every single starting position needs to be up for grabs. The offensive line opened nothing in the running game against the most pathetic defense in the league. Therefore, all five starting spots need to be up for grabs. We already know quarterback will be up for grabs, but the defense did itself no favors today. In fact, only Carson Wiggs and Cody Webster had good days of anyone.

This is an embarrassing way to end a season that was nothing short of an utter disaster.

West Lafayette, IN (Sports Network) – Mitch Ewald connected on a 31-yard field goal to lift the Indiana Hoosiers to a thrilling 34-31 overtime victory over the Purdue Boilermakers in a Big Ten Conference showdown at Ross-Ade Stadium.

Ben Chappell completed 31-of-50 passes for 330 yards with three touchdowns under center for Indiana (5-7, 1-7 Big Ten), and Terrance Turner hauled in 10 passes for 100 yards in the win. Damarlo Belcher tallied eight catches for 83 yards as well for the Hoosiers, while Tandon Doss grabbed eight balls for 64 yards and three scores.

Rob Henry threw for 252 yards with three touchdowns and a lone interception in a losing effort for Purdue (4-8, 2-6), with Antavian Edison benefiting to the tune of five catches for 89 yards and a touchdown.

The Boilermakers struck first midway through the first quarter, as Henry hit Edison with a 55-yard scoring strike.

The Hoosiers responded just minutes later, tying the contest at seven apiece following a one-yard Trea Burgess plunge.

But the Boilermakers reclaimed the lead late in the frame with a two-yard toss from Henry to Dan Dierking.

The Boilermakers took a 21-7 lead midway through the second period, as Keith Carlos found the end zone following a one-yard run.

The Hoosiers pulled to within 21-14 with just over two minutes remaining in the half with a four-yard strike from Chappell to Doss.

Early in the third quarter, the Hoosiers knotted things up once again following a six-yard toss from Chappell to Doss.

But the Boilermakers responded midway through the frame, taking a 28-21 advantage on a 52-yard connection between Henry and Cortez Smith.

Early in the final period of play, Chappell and Doss hooked for a touchdown for the third time, this time on a three-yard strike to once again even things up.

A 36-yard Carson Wiggs field goal midway through the stanza gave the Boilermakers a 31-28 lead, but the Hoosiers managed a 26-yard Ewald kick with just nine seconds remaining to force overtime.

Ewald then buried the 31-yard kick in the extra frame, rewarding a strong effort by his defense in that overtime period.

Wow.

That’s all one can muster. Just wow.

While I am sure no Purdue fans will take comfort in this, but that was one heck of a football game. The 2010 Battle For The Oaken Bucket was won in overtime today by the Indiana University Hoosiers.

Trailing at one point in the second quarter 21-7, Ben Chappell and the Hoosiers offense woke up. Chappell was 31-50 for 330 yards and three TDs on the day, all three to Tandon Doss. It was Chappell’s outstanding passes that got IU into overtime, directing a 14 play, 72 yard drive that was capped by a 26-yard Mitch Ewald FG with 9 seconds left in regulation.

But, as marvelous as Chappell played, it was the much maligned Hoosiers defense which came up big. With Purdue looking at 2nd and 8 from their own 6 yard line, Rob Henry’s pass was intercepted by Jeff Thomas. IU took over on their Purdue’s 8, and converted it into a game-winning 31-yard FG.

Despite the INT, Henry played an outstanding game, throwing for 252 yards and 3 TDs.

IU’s victory over Purdue is the Hoosiers first Big Ten win in twelve games. They also take home the Oaken Bucket.

Wow! What a game.

Down 31-28 late in the fourth, IU quarterback Ben Chappell led the Hoosiers on a 14 play, 72 yard drive which was capped by a 26-yard Mitch Ewald field goal to tie the game with 9 seconds left.

Looks like OT, folks. Heck of a football game.

After IU tied the game at 21-all, Purdue eventually got the ball back and re-took the lead on a 53-yard TD throw from Rob Henry to Cortez Smith. But IU responded a few drives later, with Ben Chappell hitting Turner on a 38-yard pass to set up first and ten on Purdue’s 13 yard line. The Hoosiers scored three plays later with Chappell hitting Tandon Doss for their third TD hook-up of the day.

IU and Purdue are tied 28-28 in the fourth.

Ben Chappell tossed a 6 yard touchdown pass to Tandon Doss, their second hook-up of the day, to tie Purdue 21-21. The drive was 11 plays and 54 yards.

Chpapell is 15-22 for 158 yards and two TDs. Doss has caught 5 passes for 43 yards and two scores.

Purdue was up 21-7 until Ben Chappell tossed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Tandon Doss, cutting their lead to 21-14. Now, IU has the ball ans is driving into Purdue territory.

Amazingly, IU’s defense is actually getting the job done in the second half.

The Boilermakers have jumped out to a 21-7 lead over the Hoosiers in this year’s Battle for the Bucket. Purdue quarterback Rob Henry has two touchdown passes and 24 yards rushing. Keith Carlos also has a touchdown.

FACTS & STATS: Site: Ross-Ade Stadium (67,332) — West Lafayette, Indiana. Television: Big Ten Network. Home Record: Indiana 3-3, Purdue 3-3. Away Record: Indiana 1-3, Purdue 1-4. Neutral Record: Indiana 0-1, Purdue 0-0. Conference Record: Indiana 0-7, Purdue 2-5. Series Record: Purdue leads, 70-36-6.

GAME NOTES: A couple of Big Ten Conference teams spiraling out of control meet in West Lafayette on Saturday afternoon, as the Purdue Boilermakers entertain the Indiana Hoosiers in the final game of the season for both teams.

In a battle for the Old Oaken Bucket, neither one of these teams is heading anywhere other than home after this contest because they’ll both be under .500 once the final gun goes off on Saturday. For Indiana, the end couldn’t come soon enough as the squad is winless in league play and is last in the Big Ten standings at 0-7.

Indiana won three straight to kick off 2010, but the squad has won just once since then and that was a narrow 36-34 final over Arkansas State. Last weekend the team traveled to the nation’s capital to face off against Penn State and promptly dropped a 41-24 decision, the team’s fifth consecutive failure.

Over on the other side, Purdue began with some promise by winning four of the first six games of the season, but last weekend the team watched Michigan State escape with a 35-31 victory in East Lansing, marking the fifth straight setback for the Boilermakers.

Purdue leads the all-time series by a count of 70-36-6, the Boilermakers capturing a 38-21 win last year.

Ben Chappell converted 22-of-41 passes for the Hoosiers for 235 yards and two touchdowns last week against Penn State, but he was also sacked twice and picked off once by the aggressive Nittany Lions. Tandon Doss did some damage for the squad as he registered a team-best 61 rushing yards on just five carries and also stretched seven receptions into another 90 yards and a touchdown in defeat. Aside from the mere 63 passing yards he had in that ugly 83-20 loss to Wisconsin on the road a couple weeks back, Chappell has been rather consistent for the Hoosiers with nearly 3,000 passing yards and 21 TDs. However, Chappell is only effective when the run game gives him some breathing room and considering the squad is ranked last in the conference and 110th in the nation with 102.8 ypg, that hasn’t happened very often.

In unfamiliar surroundings, the Hoosiers could only try to slow down the Nittany Lions at FedEx Field last weekend, but what the defense soon discovered was that PSU was pulling out all the stops and was willing to do anything to get into the win column. The pass defense was touched for 315 yards and a couple of TDs and the run defense was similarly ineffective as it permitted 171 yards and another two TDs. The pass efficiency defense for Indiana this season has been nothing to write home about, in fact it currently ranks 115th in the country with a mark of 156.95. Opponents have been able to generate nearly 240 yards per game against the group because the pressure up front simply isn’t there. Ranked 10th in the conference and 95th in the country, Indiana is averaging less than five tackles for loss per game.

It was a chance to shake things up in the Big Ten standings, but in the end the Boilermakers dropped the ball and allowed Michigan State to escape with a four-point win on Saturday. Purdue was ahead by a 28-13 score heading into the fourth period and still the visitors couldn’t get the job done. Rob Henry threw for 189 yards and two touchdowns, but he also tossed a couple of picks, while Keith Carlos tacked on a game-high 103 yards rushing and a score on a mere six carries. The problem with Purdue is not one of the top running backs on the roster has appeared in all 11 games thus far and overall the squad has accounted for just 11 rushing TDs and five of those have come from QBs. That’s the other glaring issue for Purdue this year, having too many players try their hand at passing the ball. Right now the job falls to Henry who is completing just 53 percent of his attempts and has more INTs (six) than TDs (five).

Ricardo Allen helped the Boilermakers build their lead on Saturday by picking off a pass and returning it 35 yards the other way for a touchdown in the first quarter, but that was the only good news for the pass defense. Michigan State QB Kirk Cousins had three passing scores, two of them coming in the pivotal fourth period when it all fell apart for the Boilermakers. Allen finished with a couple of pass breakups and a team-best nine tackles, all of them solo, in the losing cause. The only player on the team with more than just a single pick this year, Allen has made three and is at the same time fifth on the team in tackles with 65. A dominating force in his own right, Ryan Kerrigan has to be accounted for on every snap or else he’ll build upon his already incredible numbers of 25.0 TFLs and 12.5 sacks, numbers that rank him first and second in the nation, respectively.

The Boilermakers will want to show the hometown fans that they are not about to roll over, so expect to see the Indiana losing streak extended until next season rolls around.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Purdue 35, Indiana 27

Saturday, November 27th, 12:00 p.m. (et).

Chris Steuber of NFLDraftScout.com just Tweeted:

I’ve confirmed that a scout from the #Buccaneers will attend the #Indiana, #Purdue game on Saturday. #NFLDraft