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Ten things you need to know about Purdue’s win vs. Indiana
1. A tough way to end the season for Purdue (4-8 overall; 3-6 Big Ten), as Indiana (8-4; 5-4) wins the Old Oaken Bucket for the first time since 2016. It also means IU had a winning record vs. the Boilermakers this decade (6-4), which hasn't happened since the 1940s.
“They fought to the end,” said Jeff Brohm. “That probably has been our strength this year. I do think we have enough guys who are willing to play hard to the end no matter what the score is. We had a chance to win in the end, and came up short.”
2. Purdue’s defense was confounded—again—by the RPO. Peyton Ramsey at times looked like a wizard. He hit 23-of-39 passes for 337 yards with three touchdowns and no picks. And Ramsey ran 19 times for 42 yards and two touchdowns. The savvy junior is the son of a high school coach. And it showed.
“To win at this level against Big Ten competition, you’ve got to be big, strong, physical, have some depth,” said Brohm. “We have to improve in those areas.”
3. Jackson Anthrop has been a quiet warrior all season, playing with a banged up body. He made four catches for 62 yards, with one coming off a deflection off tight end Brycen Hopkins that led to a TD. It was one of the craziest plays of the season.
“Quite a few people wouldn't have continued to play,” said Brohm. “And he goes out there and gives you everything he has. He comes from a great family. He cares about his teammates and this program. We want to get him as healthy as we can. Yes, he gave us tremendous effort even when he wasn’t 100 percent.”
4. No secret: This defense needs to get bigger up front starting converted end Kai Higgins as tackle (as an example) just won’t cut it. He weighs 260 pounds. For most of the day, the Hoosiers dominated with their offensive line, often pushing the pile in a big scrum. IU notched 522 yards (185 rushing/337 passing).
"Third-and-long situations have really been disappointing to me,” said Brohm. “Not to be able to get off the field. So there are just a lot of things we have to work on, the head coach, assistant coaches all the way down.”
5. Given the circumstances Purdue has had deal with—myriad injuries, lots of youth—does Jeff Brohm think he maximized his roster?
“I don't know,” he said. “We always need to do things better. It's important to get your guys to play hard. And it's important your guys love football … I do think our guys showed they wanted to win. Now, are we good enough to win? Certain games at this point, no. But we have a handful of guys who are really ready to win.”
6. Zander Horvath showed a little something today. In the second quarter, he had a 48-yard burst followed by a 20-yarder. On this day, the sophomore often looked like Mike Alstott, running 23 times for 164 yards and two TDs (7.1 ypc). It was the first 100-yard rushing game for a Boilermaker all season.
“Zander is the exact type of player you love to coach,” said Brohm. “He puts in a lot of effort and a lot of time to be as productive and as good as he can be. … He worked through a few struggles early on … we just have to continue working on being elusive, making plays and taking care of the ball. We need more guys who want to work like Zander Horvath.”
7. Despite Purdue's effort, Indiana was the better team. The IU program is more mature, as Kevin Wilson left Tom Allen a nice nucleus to build around. (Conversely, Jeff Brohm inherited a mess that he still is trying to clean up.) Bowl eligibility hung in the balance for Indiana in this game each of the last two years, and the Hoosiers fell short. IU had that wrapped up entering today’s action. But the Hoosiers wanted the Old Oaken Bucket, which they haven’t possessed since 2016.
"Indiana deserved to win,” said Brohm. “They made the plays when they had to. So we’ve got a ways to go. We’ve just got to get more guys who want to buy in and do everything right. But I do think a lot of guys played very, very hard today.”
8. Even with the loss today, the future is bright for a Purdue program that was dominated by youth this season. Because of myriad injuries, Jeff Brohm and Co., had to play many young players--like DE George Karlaftis, WR David Bell and S Jalen Graham, among others. Some weren’t ready for extended duty. Nonetheless, there is no better teacher than experience.
9. Aidan O’Connell had his ups and downs on this day while making his third career start. No doubt, the sophomore walk-on has done enough to be considered for the starting job next season, right? Redshirt freshman Jack Plummer will be back from an ankle injury, and true freshman Paul Piferi is slated to return. Also, Elijah Sindelar is eligible to come back for a sixth season. And the Boilermakers could bring in a grad transfer. Still, don’t discount O’Connell.
“I think every position has to improve,” said Brohm. “I am very proud of Aidan. Jack made progress. I think my brother Brian does a good job with our quarterbacks, building the offense around what they do well. Aidan is more of a pocket passer. Jack can move around a little bit.”
10. Turnovers were a big difference in this game. Purdue committed two, with Aidan O'Connell throwing a pick in IU's end zone on the opening drive and Zander Horvath losing a fumble later in the game. The Boilers finished minus-eight in turnover margin on the season. Purdue was minus-five last year and plus-four in Jeff Brohm's first season in 2017. The negative trend must end.
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