Indiana Crumbles to 30-16 Loss to Big Ten West Champion Purdue After Williams' Injury

The 2022 Indiana football season came to an end on Saturday night in a 30-16 loss to the Purdue Boilermakers, who won the Big Ten West division and Old Oaken Bucket trophy with this victory.

Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The first option wasn't open, so Dexter Williams scrambled to extend the play with his feet

It’s what he's done best in his young Indiana career.

But when Williams planted his foot to change direction and avoid the Purdue pass rush, his right leg gave out. Indiana guard Kahlil Benson’s hands sprung to his helmet in fear, and the entire Indiana sideline surrounded Williams near the 30-yard line as the medical cart drove onto the field.

Williams immediately went to the hospital, and Indiana coach Tom Allen said Williams suffered a knee injury, but it's not a torn ACL. Indiana held a 7-3 lead when Williams went down late in the first quarter, and the Purdue defense was on its heels. But without Williams, the Indiana offense fell stagnant in a 30-16 loss to Purdue in the Old Oaken Bucket game on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

“It was a devastating loss,” Allen said. “He did a great job last week. Felt great about our game plan, and it was working to perfection.”

Indiana's Dexter Williams (5) winces in pain as he is injured during the first half of the Indiana versus Purdue football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022 :: © Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

Allen is right. Against the dual-threat Williams, Purdue’s defense looked confused by Indiana’s multi-faceted plan of attack. It was clear from the second play of the game.

Williams ran patiently to the left side to draw Purdue’s attention, forcing the edge rusher to make a decision. With perfect timing, Williams flicked the ball outside to Jaylin Lucas, who had blockers in front. Lucas burst through the hole and left the Purdue defense in the dust for a 71-yard touchdown run to give Indiana a 7-3 lead.

“Having all that in one backfield, it's kind of hard to pick and choose your poison,” Indiana wide receiver Emery Simmons said. “Because if you try to step up on Dex on the option, it's going to J-Luc, and you saw what happened with that.”

Here's a playmaker to watch: @jaylinlucas1. 💥

The @IndianaFootball freshman can flat-out fly. pic.twitter.com/3P1sbK3VC6

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 26, 2022

All energy from the Indiana faithful at Memorial Stadium seemed to disappear in the moments following Williams’ departure, and the on-field product fizzled out, too. 

Connor Bazelak, who has started nine games for Indiana this year, replaced Williams at quarterback. Following Williams' injury, Indiana's drive stalled with a four-yard run from Josh Henderson and a Bazelak incompletion. Charles Campbell missed a 44-yard field goal – he finished the game 1 for 3 with a block – and Indiana’s momentum slipped away.

The Hoosiers maintained a 7-3 lead at halftime after a sloppy second quarter from both teams, but with the less-mobile Bazelak, Indiana was missing its biggest advantage for the final 30 minutes.

No longer did Purdue have to worry about Williams’ threat to run the ball, which allowed the Boilermakers to zone in on Indiana running backs and lock down the run game. Indiana generated 166 yards rushing yards on 27 carries in the first half, but that number shrunk 49 yards on 17 attempts in the second half.

Bazelak finished the game 24 for 42 with for 201 passing yards. Indiana’s offense turned the ball over on downs in Purdue territory twice in the fourth quarter, and Bazelak threw a pick-six on the penultimate drive. Indiana mustered a 9-yard touchdown on a screen pass to Josh Henderson as the clock ticked away, but that was not enough to overcome the 27 second-half points the Hoosier defense allowed.

After a sluggish start, Purdue built a balanced offensive attack in the second half. Quarterback Aidan O’Connell completed 18-of-29 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns, and he connected with his trusty target Charlie Jones to seal the victory. On a busted coverage from Indiana, Jones broke free in the open field for a 60-yard score that put Purdue ahead by 14 points with 9:38 left in the game. Jones finished the night with four receptions for 143 yards and a touchdown.

What really killed the Indiana defense was its inability to slow down running back Devin Mockobee. Indiana was without veteran linebackers Aaron Casey, Cam Jones and Bradley Jennings Jr. due to injury, leaving true freshman Kaiden Turner to carry the load with nine tackles.

And Mockobee ran wild. Racking up 157 all-purpose yards, Mockobee averaged 6.6 yards per carry and 11.6 yards per reception. He broke a handful of tackles, weaving through the Indiana defense for a 27-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

Purdue Boilermakers running back Devin Mockobee (45) jumps between Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Tiawan Mullen (3) and linebacker Kaiden Turner (14) during the second half at Memorial Stadium / Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

“Our linebacker room has been decimated with injuries,” Allen said. “But I thought Kaiden stepped up.”

With this result, Purdue was crowned champion of the Big Ten West division and will play Michigan in the Big Ten Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind on Dec. 3. Indiana ends the 2022 season with a 4-7 record, leaving plenty of questions and concerns heading into the offseason.

Related stories on Indiana football

• DEXTER WILLIAMS LEAVES WITH INJURY: Indiana redshirt quarterback Dexter Williams II was carted off with a non-contact injury late in the first quarter of the Old Oaken Bucket game against Purdue. CLICK HERE
• LIVE BLOG: Indiana football (4-7) and the Purdue Boilermakers (7-4) battle for the Old Oaken Bucket at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday in Bloomington, Ind. Here's our live blog, where you can follow along with live updates from the Memorial Stadium press box. CLICK HERE
• WATCH JAYLIN LUCAS' 71-YARD TOUCHDOWN: Watch this replay of Indiana freshman running back Jaylin Lucas as he scores a 71-yard touchdown to put the Hoosiers up 7-3 in the first quarter over Purdue. CLICK HERE
• TAILGATE TALES: Join Hoosiers Now reporter Haley Jordan at the Indiana tailgate fields to talk to both Hoosier and Purdue fans ahead of the Old Oaken Bucket rivalry game. CLICK HERE