IU’s Best Team In a Quarter Century Wrests Bucket from Decimated Purdue, 44-41 (OT)

(Photo credit: Clinton Cole)

IU rolled into town a favored 7-4 team, crowing about their best season in 25 years. Purdue hobbled into Ross-Ade on their fourth-string, walk-on QB’s back hoping he could again engineer a patchwork win.

It did not start well for Purdue, despite it being clear that they would be able to move the ball almost at will today. Aiden O’Connell was intercepted in the end zone on Purdue’s first drive, an awful spot cost Purdue on fourth down a little later, the Boilers lost a fumble, and IU crawled out to a 21-10 lead in the first half behind the very steady hand of Peyton Ramsey (who, correct me if I’m wrong, but has been at IU for a decade and yet is somehow only a junior).

The second half looked like more of the same. The defense looked confused at times – at one point playing man to man with one DB playing zone, resulting in an easy IU TD – and IU scored with 3:30 to go in the third quarter to go up 28-10 and it would be understandable if you felt like this one had been effectively put away. But if you did feel that way, then you haven’t been paying attention to the fight in this team. Oh, and let’s not forget Aiden O’Connell and his ice-in-the-veins ability to come back against mediocre Big Ten teams.

Purdue began their fight back with an effortless-looking, six-play, 75 yard drive in just 1:46 to make it 28-17 at the close of the third. Okay, life has been spotted.

Six minutes into the fourth, Zander Horvath – channeling Mike Alstott on Bucket Saturday – bulled his way in to pull Purdue within five but then dropped the two-point pass. Still, this was suddenly interesting and anyone who walked away was being texted to get back to their TV. Boilerdowd was in the stands and was likely numb in his extremities by this point. The rest of BS was cozy warm in our homes.

IU got the ball back but was clearly rattled by Purdue’s unwillingness to simply die. The got themselves a field goal with a little over five minutes to go but that’s plenty o’ time for Aiden O’Connell. AOC brought Purdue another 75 yards and culminated it with a gorgeous 20-yard TD pass to all-world freshman David Bell. The two-point conversion was academic at that point, hauled in by senior Brycen Hopkins and we had ourselves a tie ballgame.

IU couldn’t do anything on their next possession and then pinned Purdue at their own two yard line. After some spooky plays, AOC hit Hopkins on third and ten for a big gain and the march was on. It suddenly dawned on me that with under a minute to go, Purdue was almost in field goal range and if they could get anywhere within reason, I knew JD Dellinger would smile and boot them to victory. Alas, they couldn’t get closer than about the 40, which would have been an approximately 58 yard try towards the more swirling wind end. Purdue elected to go for the first down and Milton Wright was hit in stride by O’Connell….and it bounced away. That would have put Purdue certainly within a distance you would try with JD. No way to know how it turns out, of course. But it was right there. Instead, OT.

IU scored a TD on their first possession and so once again, the pressure was on fourth-string, walk-on QB Aiden O’Connell. And he came through again, too, nailing a fourth down TD pass to Hopkins.

The vote at BS was very quickly to go for two there to win it. IU had missed three FGs and surrendered a big Purdue comeback in the final 17 minutes of the game. The Purdue offense had to be gassed, the defense hadn’t looked all that impressive all day and it just felt like that’s the right thing to do when you’re the underdog (even if it’s to Indiana). Weirdly, that was the moment Jeff Brohm decided to be conservative for the rest of the OT and he kicked the XP.

Purdue then had to be on offense again right away – another reason to have killed IU with the two point attempt – and after a nice gain to Bell, ran two straight conservative, up-the-gut runs and were stuffed. On fourth and two, JD Dellinger scored Purdue’s final points of the season. The Boilermakers led for the first time all day, 41-38, and now it was all on Nick Holt’s defense. Maybe that was on purpose.

The embattled and banged up D did their best on the next Hoosier possession, getting things to a pivotal third and ten, but then Peyton Ramsey coolly hit an open receiver in the middle for a gain down to about the Purdue one and then he pushed it across against an exhausted squad to take the Bucket back, 44-41.

It was a disappointing ending, but let’s face it… this was quite literally Indiana’s best football team in 25 years. If Tom Allen – who clearly values the Bucket over almost anything else – wasn’t going to get the win here, then he literally was never going to beat Jeff Brohm. So congrats to the Hoosiers on their eight-win season, something Purdue has done six times since the last time IU was any good. You eked out a win against an absolutely decimated Purdue team that was – once more for those in the back – being led by a fourth-string, walk-on QB who, by the way just carved your best team in a quarter century up like a Thanksgiving turkey.

Speaking of that, let’s talk Players of the Game. I say “Players” because ain’t no way I’m only one superlative out today.

Aiden O’Connell, in his third career college start, became the third Purdue QB this season to throw for over 400 yards to go along with his three TD tosses.

Brycen Hopkins had himself a senior day, catching eight balls for 142 yards, two TDs and a key 2-point conversion. What an afternoon for the big fella. See you on Sundays.

David Bell continued to be the best freshman in the conference today, even without Rondale Moore providing air cover. Bell had nine grabs for 136 yards, a TD and at least three or four penalties drawn. He goes over 1,000 yards receiving as a freshman and oh man I cannot wait to see him and Rondale terrorizing defenses next Fall. Oh, and he also did this:

No words 😶pic.twitter.com/f0bXGy7kKE

— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) November 30, 2019

 

Zander Horvath gets the coveted BS Player of the Game, though, as the big fella was a swiss army knife today, racking up 239 all-purpose yards. He had 164 on the ground, 51 on returns and 24 receiving. He scored two TDs and was just a monster all day. This was a Purdue rushing attack that had been less than impressive all year but today rolled up 181 on the ground, largely thanks to Zander.

Now the clock begins to 2020. Purdue will be good next year, there’s no doubt in my mind. It feels likely to us that changes will be coming in the offseason, potentially on the defensive side of things. Nobody yet knows if Elijah Sindelar will come back but it’s reasonable to expect a healthy receiving corps that, as noted, will scare a lot of opposing defenses.

I look forward to taking the Bucket back down in Bloomington next November.