WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - After opening 0-3 ... after knocking off three ranked teams for the first time since 2003 ... after losing four home games by a combined 11 points ... after losing two games on last-second field goals ... after dropping a triple OT game last week ... it has come down to this for Purdue: Beat Indiana, and go to a bowl.
Pretty simple. But, it won't be easy vs. a desperate Hoosier team that—like Purdue—needs to win to go to a bowl. Indiana gave Michigan all it could handle last week in a 31-20 loss that saw IU tally 385 yards—the most the vaunted Wolverine defense has allowed this season. In fact, Indiana led at halftime, 17-15.
Purdue (5-6 overall; 4-4 Big Ten) and Indiana (5-6; 2-6) met last year in West Lafayette under the same exact scenario: The winner went bowling. The loser went home. In 2018, Purdue prevailed, taking a 31-24 victory to claim the Old Oaken Bucket for the first time since 2012–the last time the Boilers had gone to a bowl. But know this: The Boilermakers haven't won in Bloomington since 2011, losing the last three meetings.
Indiana is wheezing down the stretch, losing five of its last six games as the Hoosiers fight for their bowl life. The lone victory in that span was a narrow 34-32 win vs. Maryland. IU's only other Big Ten win came vs. Rutgers. The Hoosiers are good at forcing takeaways, leading the Big Ten and ranking sixth in the nation with 25.
Purdue is struggling, too, losing three of its last four and is looking to avoid dropping its last three games after it opened the year 0-3. Yes, it has been a strange season in West Lafayette. Still, hope floats for Purdue as it looks to go bowling in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2011-12.
Here is a look at the key matchup, key player and key position for Purdue on Saturday as it battles Indiana.
Key matchup: Purdue RBs vs. Indiana LBs. The Boilers need to get their ground game going. That would do two big things: 1. It would open room for the deadly Purdue pass game. 2. It would keep the ball away from the Hoosiers' strong offense. IU is just No. 11 in the Big Ten vs. the run (188.0 ypg). Purdue needs to establish senior RBs D.J. Knox and Markell Jones. The last four games, the Boilers have eclipsed 100 yards rushing once (101 vs. Iowa) and have only 327 yards on the ground on 105 carries in those four games. That comes to an average of 81.8 per game and 3.1 ypc. Purdue's record in the last four games: 1-3. Now is the time for the Boilers to pound the rock.
Key player: WR Rondale Moore. It could be the freshman sensation each week in this category, honestly. If Purdue is going to leave Bloomington with the Bucket and a bowl bid, Moore has to have a big game. After a three-game lull in which his long catch was only 18 yards, Moore flashed brilliantly last week vs. Wisconsin with nine catches for 114 yards and two TDs with a 46-yard scoring grab. Moore needs to pick up where he left off and deliver some big plays. For the year, he has 91 grabs—more than any other freshman in the nation—for 1,023 yards and 10 TDs. No doubt, if Purdue is running well, Moore and his wideout friends should have ample room to catch balls vs. an IU defense that has allowed the second most TD passes (24) in the Big Ten.
Key position: Defensive line. The Boilermaker d-line has had its ups and down this year. Last week? It was a downer, as Wisconsin rushed for 385 yards with Jonathan Taylor scorching Purdue for 321 yards rushing and three TDs. Led by DT Lorenzo Neal, the Boiler front needs to offer resistance vs. a good IU rushing attack led by 6-2, 233-pound freshman Stevie Scott, who is No. 2 in the nation in rushing among freshmen with 1,033 yards. Scott has rushed for 100 yards five times this season and two times in the last three games. He punctured Michigan for 139 yards last week, and his 93.9 rush yards per game rank No. 4 in the Big Ten. Purdue also must be wary of QB Peyton Ramsey, who is No. 4 in the Big Ten in total offense with 2,530 yards passing and 317 rushing. The Boiler defensive line needs to swarm to the ball and limit IU in the run game.