Indiana football blasts Purdue, sends final message to CFP committee

On December 1, 2024By Littum

BLOOMINGTON — Purdue could have used one of those white towels IU football have started handing out before games.

No. 10 Hoosiers (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten) made a statement to College football playoff committee with a 66-0 win over Boilermakers (1-11, 0-9).

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

Indiana ended a three-game losing streak in the Old Oaken Bucket game and won both of its trophy games for just 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 a career-high six passing touchdowns, while the defense forced five turnovers and held Purdue to less than 100 yards of total offense. It was the first time Hoosiers held an FBS opponent to less than 100 yards since a 2019 game against Rutgers (75 yards allowed).

IU football’s defense smelled blood in the water

Purdue’s only drive that crossed midfield stalled toward the end of the second quarter when Hudson Card threw an incompletion on third down. Card had no choice – he was under fire 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 plays. Their longest gain was a 16-yard completion that was nearly picked off.

Card was replaced by Ryan Browne coming out of halftime, and he 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 during that stretch.

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

IU football’s offense breaks out of slump in record fashion

Purdue corner Nyland Green picked the wrong moment to take the eyes of Elijah Sarratt.

With IU backed up in its own end zone, Sarratt slid through the Boilermakers’ secondary and there wasn’t a safety deep. Rourke immediately identified the error and threw a fairly deep ball to his favorite target. Sarratt won a foot race down the sideline for an 84-yard score to open the game. It was the fifth-longest passing game in IU history, and the 99-yard drive tied a program record.

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

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

Indiana’s coaching staff helped the offense get into an early rhythm by busting out some new wrinkles in the run.

On IU’s second possession, wide receivers Myles Price (22 yard gain) and Ke’Shawn Williams (13 yard gain) had long runs on an identical end-around from the right side of the line. Justice Ellison put the Hoosiers up 7-0 with a 2-yard touchdown run out of wildcat formation.

It was only the second time all season he had taken a direct snap.

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