Quoted: Indiana vs. Purdue
11/23/2017 12:26:00 PM | Football
By: Nick Reith
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Hoosiers are on the road for the closing game of the regular season this Thanksgiving weekend, the 93rd edition of the battle for the Old Oaken Bucket. The 120th meeting between Indiana (5-6) and Purdue (5-6) will be as hard-fought as any past installment of this storied rivalry, but the winner of Saturday's game will clinch bowl eligibility in addition to possession of the Old Oaken Bucket. The game is set for a noon ET (ESPN2) kickoff on Saturday, Nov. 25, at Ross-Ade Stadium.
"I am really proud of our team and our coaching staff. Very important win on Saturday over Rutgers," said Indiana head coach Tom Allen. "Just really pleased with the preparation that went into it and the focus that our guys had and the senior leadership that those young men displayed going into their final home game here at Memorial Stadium. Just wanted to send them off in the right way, and I thought our underclassmen bought into that and did a great job."
The Hoosiers took care of business last Saturday in their final home game of the season, a 41-0 shutout win against Rutgers on Indiana's Senior Day. Allen's defense allowed just 190 yards and forced nine punts in its first Big Ten shutout since 1993. The offense torched the scoreboard, racking up over 500 yards while ending the game with 27 straight run plays, scoring two touchdowns in that sequence. And they did it all while enduring the potential pratfalls that could follow a 107-minute weather.
That win, Indiana's second in a row, sets up an all-important game in West Lafayette. The Hoosiers and Boilermakers are playing in one of three national games where two Power 5 schools are playing for bowl eligibility (Colorado at Utah, Cal at UCLA).
"I thought our running backs really ran hard in this last game," said offensive coordinator Mike DeBord. "For the most part they made really good decisions on their cuts and where they went. We've just got to continue that and I think we have confidence in that, and we need that balance in any game."
DeBord's attack has excelled at establishing the running game in IU's last two wins, earning nearly a fourth of its season's rushing yards (400 of 1,709 this season) in that stretch. That success has come from a herculean effort by the offensive line and Indiana's first-year rushing tandem of Cole Gest and Morgan Ellison. The latter, Ellison, was named the co-Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the second time this year after collecting 149 yards and two touchdowns on the ground against Rutgers.
That success on the turf will help bring balance alongside the passing game, a group that's clicking with fifth-year senior quarterback Richard Lagow behind center. Lagow is 49-for-76 in his last two games (.645) with four touchdowns, two of them to senior tight end Ian Thomas.
"Looking back, it feels like yesterday that I announced that I was coming back in January and the time has gone by so fast," said fifth-year senior cornerback Rashard Fant. "I definitely want to cherish the moment and being with this team, and I want to go out on the field and give everything I've got to help us get to a bowl game."
For Fant, moments like these—an opportunity to gain bowl eligibility against the Hoosiers' biggest rival with the Old Oaken Bucket on the line—are what he plays for. That's why he decided to continue his collegiate career last winter, and why the IU senior is determined to keep the team focused and fired up this week. Fant knows that the defense is about to face Purdue's best effort, especially after what the Boilermakers did in their win at Iowa last weekend.
What brought Fant back to Indiana? His teammates, the guys who grind with him each day in practice from the spring game to preseason camp to the final week of the season. And the Hoosiers have been thankful for Fant's focus and effort this season. Fant is the nation's active leader in pass breakups, and he has three PBUs and two takeaways in IU's last two games.
"Everything that you could imagine being on the line is on the line this Saturday," said fifth-year senior quarterback Richard Lagow. "You've got to be excited about it, got to have energy every day of the week, and do everything you can to prepare and send the senior class out the right way with a bowl game to keep this team together for another month."
Lagow is a senior who's only been with the Hoosiers for two years, but he knows the stakes. Saturday's game is monumental for Indiana's season, the program's history, and the rivalry between the Hoosiers and Boilermakers. Lagow is excited to play such a vital role in the upcoming effort, especially if they can gain an Old Oaken Bucket, a bowl bid and another month together as a team with a win.
Since his return to the starting lineup against Wisconsin, Lagow has amassed three consecutive games with over 200 yards, four consecutive games with two passing touchdowns, and completed 62 percent of his passes (81-for-131).
"Our team is just playing fast, leaving it all on the field, and I think it's showing," said senior linebacker Tegray Scales. "Coach Allen was on us all week, and we needed that win to put us in the position that we're in now."
The Hoosiers' opportunity this week wouldn't be possible without the winning effort last week, and that's not lost on Scales. He and the defense put together their first-ever shutout against a Big Ten team—marking Indiana's first season with two shutouts in 24 years—while stifling a dangerous Rutgers rushing attack. Scales has patrolled the second level like a predator his whole career, but the team effort last week came from a challenge issued by Allen and the defensive coaching staff.
A week has passed and the message hasn't changed. With 83 tackles this season and 11.5 tackles for loss, Scales will lead the charge as the IU defense aims to provide another winning effort.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Hoosiers are on the road for the closing game of the regular season this Thanksgiving weekend, the 93rd edition of the battle for the Old Oaken Bucket. The 120th meeting between Indiana (5-6) and Purdue (5-6) will be as hard-fought as any past installment of this storied rivalry, but the winner of Saturday's game will clinch bowl eligibility in addition to possession of the Old Oaken Bucket. The game is set for a noon ET (ESPN2) kickoff on Saturday, Nov. 25, at Ross-Ade Stadium.
"I am really proud of our team and our coaching staff. Very important win on Saturday over Rutgers," said Indiana head coach Tom Allen. "Just really pleased with the preparation that went into it and the focus that our guys had and the senior leadership that those young men displayed going into their final home game here at Memorial Stadium. Just wanted to send them off in the right way, and I thought our underclassmen bought into that and did a great job."
The Hoosiers took care of business last Saturday in their final home game of the season, a 41-0 shutout win against Rutgers on Indiana's Senior Day. Allen's defense allowed just 190 yards and forced nine punts in its first Big Ten shutout since 1993. The offense torched the scoreboard, racking up over 500 yards while ending the game with 27 straight run plays, scoring two touchdowns in that sequence. And they did it all while enduring the potential pratfalls that could follow a 107-minute weather.
That win, Indiana's second in a row, sets up an all-important game in West Lafayette. The Hoosiers and Boilermakers are playing in one of three national games where two Power 5 schools are playing for bowl eligibility (Colorado at Utah, Cal at UCLA).
"I thought our running backs really ran hard in this last game," said offensive coordinator Mike DeBord. "For the most part they made really good decisions on their cuts and where they went. We've just got to continue that and I think we have confidence in that, and we need that balance in any game."
DeBord's attack has excelled at establishing the running game in IU's last two wins, earning nearly a fourth of its season's rushing yards (400 of 1,709 this season) in that stretch. That success has come from a herculean effort by the offensive line and Indiana's first-year rushing tandem of Cole Gest and Morgan Ellison. The latter, Ellison, was named the co-Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the second time this year after collecting 149 yards and two touchdowns on the ground against Rutgers.
That success on the turf will help bring balance alongside the passing game, a group that's clicking with fifth-year senior quarterback Richard Lagow behind center. Lagow is 49-for-76 in his last two games (.645) with four touchdowns, two of them to senior tight end Ian Thomas.
"Looking back, it feels like yesterday that I announced that I was coming back in January and the time has gone by so fast," said fifth-year senior cornerback Rashard Fant. "I definitely want to cherish the moment and being with this team, and I want to go out on the field and give everything I've got to help us get to a bowl game."
For Fant, moments like these—an opportunity to gain bowl eligibility against the Hoosiers' biggest rival with the Old Oaken Bucket on the line—are what he plays for. That's why he decided to continue his collegiate career last winter, and why the IU senior is determined to keep the team focused and fired up this week. Fant knows that the defense is about to face Purdue's best effort, especially after what the Boilermakers did in their win at Iowa last weekend.
What brought Fant back to Indiana? His teammates, the guys who grind with him each day in practice from the spring game to preseason camp to the final week of the season. And the Hoosiers have been thankful for Fant's focus and effort this season. Fant is the nation's active leader in pass breakups, and he has three PBUs and two takeaways in IU's last two games.
"Everything that you could imagine being on the line is on the line this Saturday," said fifth-year senior quarterback Richard Lagow. "You've got to be excited about it, got to have energy every day of the week, and do everything you can to prepare and send the senior class out the right way with a bowl game to keep this team together for another month."
Lagow is a senior who's only been with the Hoosiers for two years, but he knows the stakes. Saturday's game is monumental for Indiana's season, the program's history, and the rivalry between the Hoosiers and Boilermakers. Lagow is excited to play such a vital role in the upcoming effort, especially if they can gain an Old Oaken Bucket, a bowl bid and another month together as a team with a win.
Since his return to the starting lineup against Wisconsin, Lagow has amassed three consecutive games with over 200 yards, four consecutive games with two passing touchdowns, and completed 62 percent of his passes (81-for-131).
"Our team is just playing fast, leaving it all on the field, and I think it's showing," said senior linebacker Tegray Scales. "Coach Allen was on us all week, and we needed that win to put us in the position that we're in now."
The Hoosiers' opportunity this week wouldn't be possible without the winning effort last week, and that's not lost on Scales. He and the defense put together their first-ever shutout against a Big Ten team—marking Indiana's first season with two shutouts in 24 years—while stifling a dangerous Rutgers rushing attack. Scales has patrolled the second level like a predator his whole career, but the team effort last week came from a challenge issued by Allen and the defensive coaching staff.
A week has passed and the message hasn't changed. With 83 tackles this season and 11.5 tackles for loss, Scales will lead the charge as the IU defense aims to provide another winning effort.
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