WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Football closes out the 2023 campaign with the annual Old Oaken Bucket Game. The Boilermakers battle Indiana in the rivalry trophy matchup from Ross-Ade Stadium. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET on BTN.
Purdue has eclipsed 300 yards rushing in back-to-back games, accomplishing the feat for the first time since 1968 (55 years). The Boilermakers average a Big Ten-best 185.4 rushing yards in conference contests.
OLD OAKEN BUCKET HISTORY
• While Saturday's game will be the 125th meeting between the Boilermakers and Hoosiers, this year's matchup will be just the 98th edition of the Old Oaken Bucket Game.
• Since 1925, Purdue and Indiana have played annually for the Old Oaken Bucket. The Boilermakers lead the Bucket portion of the all-time series 62-32-3, including 17 wins in the last 25 showdowns.
• Purdue has won four of the past five matchups (game was not played in 2020 due to COVID-19).
• The Chicago alumni groups of both schools came up with the idea for a traveling trophy, and Russell Gray of Purdue and Clarence Jones of Indiana were given the task of finding an appropriate object. They recommended that "an old oaken bucket would be a most typical trophy from this state and should be taken from a well somewhere in Indiana." Purdue's Fritz Ernst and Whiley J. Huddle of Indiana found the fabled bucket, in a bad state of repair, covered with moss and mold, on the Bruner farm between Kent and Hanover in southern Indiana.
• The Bruner farm was settled in the 1840s, and family lore suggests the bucket might have been used by Confederate General John Hunt Morgan and his soldiers during their incursion into Indiana in 1863 during the Civil War.
• George Ade, distinguished humorist from Purdue, and Harry Kurrie, president of the Monon Railroad, representing Indiana, formally introduced the Old Oaken Bucket in 1925. The Boilermakers and Hoosiers subsequently battled to a 0-0 tie Nov. 21 at Ross-Ade Stadium, resulting in an "I-P" link being attached to the bucket.
• Throughout its history, the bucket has been kidnapped by partisans from both schools – a couple of times missing so long that it was given up as lost, only to turn up mysteriously just before or after the annual game.
KEEPING THE BUCKET
• Purdue has won four of the past five matchups in the rivalry game, while keeping the Old Oaken Bucket for the past two seasons after a 30-16 victory in Bloomington last season and a dominant 44-7 victory at Ross-Ade Stadium in 2021.
• The Boilermakers are looking to beat the Hoosiers for a third year in a row, Purdue's longest winning streak in the matchup since rattling off five straight from 2002-06.
• With a win Saturday, Purdue would hold on to both of their annual rivalry trophies (Old Oaken Bucket - Indiana, Cannon Trophy - Illinois) for the third straight season. The last time the Boilermakers kept both trophies for three consecutive years was during the Joe Tiller era (2004-06).
OPPONENT SNAPSHOT
• The Hoosiers enter the final game of the season with a 3-8 (1-7 B1G) record following a 24-21 loss to Michigan State.
• Indiana punter James Evans averages 45.8 yards per punt to rank second in the conference and 14th nationally.
• Aaron Casey leads the Big Ten with 16.0 tackles-for-loss, just ahead of Boilermakers Kydran Jenkins (14.5) and Nic Scourton (13.0).
• Tom Allen is in his seventh season as head coach of the Hoosiers.
LAST YEAR'S MATCHUP
• A big day from Charlie Jones (Cincinnati Bengals) in the receiving game and rushing exploits by Devin Mockobee secured Purdue the Old Oaken Bucket, the Big Ten West divisional title and a place in the conference championship game. The Boilermakers defeated Indiana, 30-16, and advanced to the league championship for the first time in school history.
• Jones hauled in four receptions for 143 yards and a touchdown.
• Mockobee ran for 99 yards on 15 attempts (6.6 per carry) and added 58 through the air on four catches.
• Kydran Jenkins blocked an Indiana 36-yard field goal attempt late in the third quarter.
HONORARY CAPTAIN
• Curtis Painter, one of the most prolific passers in program history as a member of the Cradle of Quarterbacks, will serve as the honorary captain for Saturday's season finale.
• In his first full season as a starter in 2006, Painter broke the Big Ten season passing yards record at the time with 3,985 yards, two more than previous record-holder Drew Brees. That mark still ranks third in conference history and is the most by a Boilermaker quarterback in a single season.
• Painter remains second all-time in career passing yards (11,163), total offense (11,511) and completions (987), trailing only Drew Brees in each category.
• He threw for a career-high 546 yards to help Purdue win a thrilling 2007 Motor City Bowl, setting a school record that now ranks second in program history.
LAST TIME AT ROSS-ADE
•In the 2021 matchup in West Lafayette, Purdue cruised to a 44-7 victory over Indiana in front of a sellout crowd at Ross-Ade Stadium.
• The Boilermakers won with the largest margin of victory in the series since a 62-10 win in 2008.
• Aidan O'Connell (Las Vegas Raiders) threw for 278 yards and four touchdowns, completing 26 of his 31 passes for the best completion percentage (.839) by a Boilermaker in an Old Oaken Bucket Game.
• The Boilermakers limited Indiana to just 205 yards of total offense and recorded 10 tackles-for-loss.
ONE MORE IN THE BOOTH
• After 32 years as the radio analyst for Purdue Football, Pete Quinn will call his final game on Saturday.
• A former Boilermaker center (1977-80), Quinn announced prior to the season that he would retire following the 2023 campaign.
• Quinn served as a team captain in 1979 and 1980, helping lead the Boilermakers to at least nine wins in each of his final three seasons on the field, including a program-best 10-win season in 1979.
• Quinn, who began his Purdue Radio career in 1992, has called 19 Purdue victories in the Old Oaken Bucket Game, including the Rose Bowl-clinching victory in 2000.
RUSHING AND REACHING 300
• The Boilermakers have averaged 328 rushing yards over the past two games, breaking the 300-yard mark in each contest.
• Purdue rushed for 353 yards to rumble past Minnesota, the most by any Big Ten team in a game this season, before adding 303 on the ground in the final road game at Northwestern.
• The Boilermakers rushed for 300-plus yards in back-to-back games for the first time since 1968 (55 years) when Leroy Keyes led Purdue to three straight games with 300 rushing yards.
• Purdue became the only Big Ten team with multiple 300-yard rushing games this year. The last time the Boilermakers produced two 300-yard games occurred during the 2002 campaign.
• The Boilermakers have 11 300-yard rushing games since 1996.
QUARTERBACKS BEWARE
• Big Ten quarterbacks definitely need to beware of two Boilermakers on both sides of Ryan Walters' defense.
• Outside linebackers Kydran Jenkins and Nic Scourton have wreaked havoc throughout the season, sitting atop the Big Ten in sacks. Scourton leads the way with 8.0, ranking 19th nationally, and Jenkins has 7.5 for second in the league and 23rd in the country.
• Jenkins ranks 16th nationally in solo sacks (7).
• The two Boilermakers also have combined for more tackles-for-loss than any duo in the Big Ten. Jenkins ranks second in the conference with 1.32 TFLs per game (14.5), while Scourton is closely behind in third with 1.30 TFLs per game (13.0).
• With Scourton and Jenkins leading the way, Purdue ranks eighth in the country with 3.0 sacks per game. The Boilermakers' 33 sacks on the season are the most since 2010 and sit fifth on the program's all-time list for a single season.
DYNAMIC DUO
• Despite sharing the workload, Devin Mockobee and Tyrone Tracy Jr. have been two of the best running backs in the Big Ten this season.
• The pair of Boilermakers are the only teammates in the Big Ten to rush for at least 500 yards in conference play. Mockobee has racked up 583 yards in B1G games, while Tracy is close behind with 576.
• They are the only two players in the Big Ten to average more than five yards per carry in league contests. Tracy leads the way with 6.8 yards per carry, while Mockobee averages 5.6 yards per carry.
• With Mockobee and Tracy over 500 yards on the season, it marks the first time since 2018 that Purdue has had a pair of running backs crack that total in the same year.
• Last week at Northwestern, the duo accounted for 296 yards of total offense. Tracy led the way with 198 yards, behind a career-high 160 on the ground, while Mockobee tallied 98 yards that included a team-high 44 receiving yards.
Purdue has eclipsed 300 yards rushing in back-to-back games, accomplishing the feat for the first time since 1968 (55 years). The Boilermakers average a Big Ten-best 185.4 rushing yards in conference contests.
OLD OAKEN BUCKET HISTORY
• While Saturday's game will be the 125th meeting between the Boilermakers and Hoosiers, this year's matchup will be just the 98th edition of the Old Oaken Bucket Game.
• Since 1925, Purdue and Indiana have played annually for the Old Oaken Bucket. The Boilermakers lead the Bucket portion of the all-time series 62-32-3, including 17 wins in the last 25 showdowns.
• Purdue has won four of the past five matchups (game was not played in 2020 due to COVID-19).
• The Chicago alumni groups of both schools came up with the idea for a traveling trophy, and Russell Gray of Purdue and Clarence Jones of Indiana were given the task of finding an appropriate object. They recommended that "an old oaken bucket would be a most typical trophy from this state and should be taken from a well somewhere in Indiana." Purdue's Fritz Ernst and Whiley J. Huddle of Indiana found the fabled bucket, in a bad state of repair, covered with moss and mold, on the Bruner farm between Kent and Hanover in southern Indiana.
• The Bruner farm was settled in the 1840s, and family lore suggests the bucket might have been used by Confederate General John Hunt Morgan and his soldiers during their incursion into Indiana in 1863 during the Civil War.
• George Ade, distinguished humorist from Purdue, and Harry Kurrie, president of the Monon Railroad, representing Indiana, formally introduced the Old Oaken Bucket in 1925. The Boilermakers and Hoosiers subsequently battled to a 0-0 tie Nov. 21 at Ross-Ade Stadium, resulting in an "I-P" link being attached to the bucket.
• Throughout its history, the bucket has been kidnapped by partisans from both schools – a couple of times missing so long that it was given up as lost, only to turn up mysteriously just before or after the annual game.
KEEPING THE BUCKET
• Purdue has won four of the past five matchups in the rivalry game, while keeping the Old Oaken Bucket for the past two seasons after a 30-16 victory in Bloomington last season and a dominant 44-7 victory at Ross-Ade Stadium in 2021.
• The Boilermakers are looking to beat the Hoosiers for a third year in a row, Purdue's longest winning streak in the matchup since rattling off five straight from 2002-06.
• With a win Saturday, Purdue would hold on to both of their annual rivalry trophies (Old Oaken Bucket - Indiana, Cannon Trophy - Illinois) for the third straight season. The last time the Boilermakers kept both trophies for three consecutive years was during the Joe Tiller era (2004-06).
OPPONENT SNAPSHOT
• The Hoosiers enter the final game of the season with a 3-8 (1-7 B1G) record following a 24-21 loss to Michigan State.
• Indiana punter James Evans averages 45.8 yards per punt to rank second in the conference and 14th nationally.
• Aaron Casey leads the Big Ten with 16.0 tackles-for-loss, just ahead of Boilermakers Kydran Jenkins (14.5) and Nic Scourton (13.0).
• Tom Allen is in his seventh season as head coach of the Hoosiers.
LAST YEAR'S MATCHUP
• A big day from Charlie Jones (Cincinnati Bengals) in the receiving game and rushing exploits by Devin Mockobee secured Purdue the Old Oaken Bucket, the Big Ten West divisional title and a place in the conference championship game. The Boilermakers defeated Indiana, 30-16, and advanced to the league championship for the first time in school history.
• Jones hauled in four receptions for 143 yards and a touchdown.
• Mockobee ran for 99 yards on 15 attempts (6.6 per carry) and added 58 through the air on four catches.
• Kydran Jenkins blocked an Indiana 36-yard field goal attempt late in the third quarter.
HONORARY CAPTAIN
• Curtis Painter, one of the most prolific passers in program history as a member of the Cradle of Quarterbacks, will serve as the honorary captain for Saturday's season finale.
• In his first full season as a starter in 2006, Painter broke the Big Ten season passing yards record at the time with 3,985 yards, two more than previous record-holder Drew Brees. That mark still ranks third in conference history and is the most by a Boilermaker quarterback in a single season.
• Painter remains second all-time in career passing yards (11,163), total offense (11,511) and completions (987), trailing only Drew Brees in each category.
• He threw for a career-high 546 yards to help Purdue win a thrilling 2007 Motor City Bowl, setting a school record that now ranks second in program history.
LAST TIME AT ROSS-ADE
•In the 2021 matchup in West Lafayette, Purdue cruised to a 44-7 victory over Indiana in front of a sellout crowd at Ross-Ade Stadium.
• The Boilermakers won with the largest margin of victory in the series since a 62-10 win in 2008.
• Aidan O'Connell (Las Vegas Raiders) threw for 278 yards and four touchdowns, completing 26 of his 31 passes for the best completion percentage (.839) by a Boilermaker in an Old Oaken Bucket Game.
• The Boilermakers limited Indiana to just 205 yards of total offense and recorded 10 tackles-for-loss.
ONE MORE IN THE BOOTH
• After 32 years as the radio analyst for Purdue Football, Pete Quinn will call his final game on Saturday.
• A former Boilermaker center (1977-80), Quinn announced prior to the season that he would retire following the 2023 campaign.
• Quinn served as a team captain in 1979 and 1980, helping lead the Boilermakers to at least nine wins in each of his final three seasons on the field, including a program-best 10-win season in 1979.
• Quinn, who began his Purdue Radio career in 1992, has called 19 Purdue victories in the Old Oaken Bucket Game, including the Rose Bowl-clinching victory in 2000.
RUSHING AND REACHING 300
• The Boilermakers have averaged 328 rushing yards over the past two games, breaking the 300-yard mark in each contest.
• Purdue rushed for 353 yards to rumble past Minnesota, the most by any Big Ten team in a game this season, before adding 303 on the ground in the final road game at Northwestern.
• The Boilermakers rushed for 300-plus yards in back-to-back games for the first time since 1968 (55 years) when Leroy Keyes led Purdue to three straight games with 300 rushing yards.
• Purdue became the only Big Ten team with multiple 300-yard rushing games this year. The last time the Boilermakers produced two 300-yard games occurred during the 2002 campaign.
• The Boilermakers have 11 300-yard rushing games since 1996.
QUARTERBACKS BEWARE
• Big Ten quarterbacks definitely need to beware of two Boilermakers on both sides of Ryan Walters' defense.
• Outside linebackers Kydran Jenkins and Nic Scourton have wreaked havoc throughout the season, sitting atop the Big Ten in sacks. Scourton leads the way with 8.0, ranking 19th nationally, and Jenkins has 7.5 for second in the league and 23rd in the country.
• Jenkins ranks 16th nationally in solo sacks (7).
• The two Boilermakers also have combined for more tackles-for-loss than any duo in the Big Ten. Jenkins ranks second in the conference with 1.32 TFLs per game (14.5), while Scourton is closely behind in third with 1.30 TFLs per game (13.0).
• With Scourton and Jenkins leading the way, Purdue ranks eighth in the country with 3.0 sacks per game. The Boilermakers' 33 sacks on the season are the most since 2010 and sit fifth on the program's all-time list for a single season.
DYNAMIC DUO
• Despite sharing the workload, Devin Mockobee and Tyrone Tracy Jr. have been two of the best running backs in the Big Ten this season.
• The pair of Boilermakers are the only teammates in the Big Ten to rush for at least 500 yards in conference play. Mockobee has racked up 583 yards in B1G games, while Tracy is close behind with 576.
• They are the only two players in the Big Ten to average more than five yards per carry in league contests. Tracy leads the way with 6.8 yards per carry, while Mockobee averages 5.6 yards per carry.
• With Mockobee and Tracy over 500 yards on the season, it marks the first time since 2018 that Purdue has had a pair of running backs crack that total in the same year.
• Last week at Northwestern, the duo accounted for 296 yards of total offense. Tracy led the way with 198 yards, behind a career-high 160 on the ground, while Mockobee tallied 98 yards that included a team-high 44 receiving yards.