First it was on, then it was off. Then, it was on. Now, it’s off … again. And, this time, it’s final.
On Tuesday morning, Purdue (2-4) and Indiana (6-1) agreed for a second time to mutually cancel the Old Oaken Bucket game. The rivals were slated to play in Bloomington on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET on BTN.
The game seemed like a tenuous proposition the moment it was announced on Sunday as part of the Big Ten's "Champions Week." Both programs were on pause last week as they dealt with COVID outbreaks that caused a mutual agreement to call off last Saturday's scheduled game in Bloomington.
Indiana announced on Sunday it remained in pause. Jeff Brohm wouldn't say on Monday during his weekly press conference if Purdue's program was paused but sounded like work being done would be limited in nature. And if a game was to take place, Brohm said personnel would have to be shuffled to field a team.
"You know, really I can't give that information out," said Brohm. "That's something that I'm not allowed to do. We'll let the medical people divulge whatever they can and get our guys ready to get on the field and play."
Now, none of the vagaries matter, because the Old Oaken Bucket game is off.
The schools had met each season since 1920. IU won last year's meeting in double overtime at Purdue, which leads the all-time series 74-42-6. The last time Indiana and Purdue didn't meet was in 1918 and 1919 during the Spanish Flu pandemic.
The Boilermakers were scheduled to play nine games but ended up having three cancelled. Earlier this season, Purdue’s game at Wisconsin was cancelled because of a COVID outbreak suffered by the Badgers. The two games with Indiana also were scrubbed.
Now--save for the unlikely event Purdue gets a bowl bid--a long offseason begins with Brohm’s squad facing a list of areas to address as he begins his fifth season in West Lafayette in 2021.
The season started amid great promise for Purdue with a home win vs. Iowa and a victory at Illinois. But the Boilermakers subsequently lost to Northwestern, at Minnesota, vs. Rutgers and vs. Nebraska. Most pundits felt this was an advantageous schedule. But the Boilermakers were unable to capitalize.
Membership Info: Sign up for GoldandBlack.com now | Why join? | Questions?
Follow GoldandBlack.com: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube
More: Gold and Black Illustrated/Gold and Black Express | Subscribe to our podcast
Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2020. All Rights Reserved. Reproducing or using editorial or graphical content, in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited.
