Rapid Reaction: Purdue Loses the Bucket in a Thrilling Overtime Game
Purdue’s season came to a close on Saturday with a 44-41 loss in a thrilling double-overtime game against Indiana. After a two-year stay, the Old Oaken Bucket leaves West Lafayette.
It was all Indiana early in the game, scoring the lone touchdown in the first quarter and the first score of the second quarter to take a 14-0 lead. Purdue was able to respond though, grabbing a J.D. Dellinger field goal, and a 72-yard touchdown reception by tight end Brycen Hopkins to close the gap. After a play-action fake, Hopkins was left wide open in the middle of the field for the score. Indiana responded right back though with an eight play 75-yard scoring drive. Both teams had an opportunity to tack on more points just before the half, but missed field goals by both Indiana’s Logan Justus and Purdue’s Dellinger kept the score at 21-10 heading to the half.
Both teams traded blows in the third quarter on a Whop Philyor 37-yard touchdown catch for Indiana and a 1-yard touchdown run for Zander Horvath and Purdue. Purdue got some breaks in the second half with Justus missing two more kicks for Indiana. His miss early in the fourth quarter kept the score at 28-17, and gave Purdue a chance to cut the lead to one score. Aided by penalties and some tough running by Horvath, Purdue did just that, going 80 yards in nine plays for the score. Horvath finished off the drive with his second 1-yard touchdown run of the day. A failed two-point conversion kept the score at 28-23.
Indiana was able to increase the lead back up to eight points with 5:08 remaining in the game after a made field goal, this time by a new kicker, Charles Campbell. As has become his thing, O’Connell came up clutch once again, leading Purdue on a 75-yard scoring drive and two-point conversion to tie the game at 31 with just 2:20 remaining in the game. Both teams had opportunities to try and win the game in regulation but Indiana went three-and-out, and the Boilermakers came up just short of field goal range, sending the game into overtime for the second time in the series.
Indiana opened the overtime with a 14-yard touchdown reception by Nick Westbrook, and Purdue responded. O'Connell found Hopkins on fourth down for the tying score. In the second overtime, Purdue started with the ball and had to settle for a 34-yard Dellinger field goal. Indiana was able to win the game on a 1-yard Peyton Ramsey run.
