Old Oaken Bucket goes to Purdue

WEST LAFAYETTE — History repeated itself in the IU-Purdue rivalry game Saturday afternoon.

The Boilermakers (6-6, 3-5) defeated the Hoosiers (4-8, 3-5) 56-35 for the second straight year in the Old Oaken Bucket game.

IU had a 21-14 lead at halftime, but it was Purdue who outscored the Hoosiers 42-14 in the second half to secure the bucket.

After the Boilermakers weren’t able to score on their first drive of the game, IU responded by scoring a touchdown.

The Hoosiers scored on a 51-yard run from junior running back Stephen Houston on the third play of the drive.

On the next possession, Purdue answered back with an 11-play, 77-yard drive that ended with a 14-yard run from running back Brandon Cottom.

Purdue scored once more in the opening 15 minutes, but the Hoosiers were able to hold Purdue scoreless in the second quarter. Houston added two more touchdowns to give IU the seven-point lead going into the locker room.

But the lead didn’t last long, as Purdue scored three touchdowns on the team’s first three drives of the second half.

After Purdue’s 21 unanswered points, IU countered with a one-yard quarterback sneak by sophomore Cameron Coffman to bring the Hoosiers within seven points, down 35-28 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Hoosiers scored again on their next possession, but that would be their last touchdown of the game.

Sophomore wide receiver Cody Latimer said he saw mistakes that led to missed chances for putting more points on the board in the final minutes of the game.

“On the offensive side, we started out firing and did a great job, but what killed us was a couple of penalties, some turnovers and missed opportunities on third downs,” Latimer said.

The Boilermakers ended up recording three touchdowns on the last four drives of the game to seal the victory.

Junior defensive back Greg Heban said he felt like missed tackles were the biggest factor in letting the Boilermakers score 21-straight points to end the game.

“We had way too many missed tackles,” Heban said. “Tackling is going to be a big emphasis for us in the offseason, and it’s something that we have to correct.”

Purdue became bowl eligible with the win against the Hoosiers, and IU ended up just two games short of a postseason game, including a three-game losing streak to end the season.

IU Coach Kevin Wilson said he thinks the future is bright going into next season for his squad.

“It’s a young group that’s got a lot of time to continue to mature physically and mentally,” Wilson said. “We have made some good strides, but we are not as close to where we need to be.”