Hoosiers Hammer Boilers

Saturday, November 30

Bloomington, Ind.

7 P.M.

Indiana University

11-1 , 8-1

Purdue

1-11 , 0-9

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Purdue

Indiana

12/1/2024 1:17:00 AM | Football

Box Score Postgame Notes Postgame Quotes Photo Gallery

By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Sometimes, if you're head coach Curt Cignetti and the No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers, you hold back nothing. You push until rival Purdue breaks, until 66-0 victory arrives and national relevance culminates that no amount of cold and snow and opponent effort can stop.

The Old Oaken Bucket was back in Hoosier hands for the first time since 2019, a historic 11-1 regular season concluded, and it came with leave-no-doubt competitive ruthlessness at Memorial Stadium Saturday night.

"We wanted to play from the first play to the last play," Cignetti said. "We had to play well. I think we did."

Did they ever.

As the game clock approached zero, center Mike Katic got the Bucket, symbolic of this rivalry, and carried it in triumph to his teammates, to Indiana fans, to anyone within sight. Of course he did. He'd waited six years for this moment, and no Hoosier better deserved it. In the Memorial Stadium weight room aftermath, he relished the moment with an unlit victory cigar and a non-stop smile.

"This is the happiest I've been in a long time," he said. "We haven't had the Bucket in five years. Getting it back in that fashion, having that moment with Coach Deal, I'm over the moon."

In the aftermath, Hoosiers hugged and flexed and posed as fireworks erupted behind them, a celebration a year and countless hours of work and sweat and preparation and belief in the making.

"Even if on paper we weren't the most talented team," quarterback Kurtis Rourke said, "we had the most heart and most will to win. It showed. Every game, we wanted to prove we belonged. I hope now we have."

In 12 games, IU had 10 blowout victories, surpassing 40 points eight times, and 30 points 10 times. It held five opponents to 10 or fewer points, led the Big Ten in average victory margin at nearly 30 points a game, and reached as high as No. 5 in the national polls.

Against Purdue, Indiana got its largest shutout victory in Big Ten play since the Associated Press era began in 1936.

"We made a statement -- again," Cignetti said. "I can't say enough about what this team has done. They're not satisfied. They're not done yet. They want more. They will get more."

Next are the final college football playoff rankings. Tuesday's release will be followed by the Dec. 8 finale, the day after all the conference championship games are played. It will include the pairings for the 12-team format, and Indiana seems a lock to make it.

"We think we've done enough," Katic said. "We're putting it in the hands of the committee. We've proven we're a playoff team and the committee will see that."

How dominant were the Hoosiers on Saturday night? By halftime, they had 28 points, 334 yards, and 17 first downs. Purdue had zero, 54, and three.

Did Indiana let up in the second half?

Not a chance.

Consider the fake punt for an 18-yard rushing first down by defensive lineman James Carpenter with IU leading 38-0 late in the third quarter. It resulted in Rourke's five-yard touchdown pass to tight end Zach Horton.

Consider Rourke throwing on five of six plays to start the fourth quarter for a touchdown and a 52-0 lead, then coming back with another TD pass less than a minute later after a Purdue fumble.

The Hoosiers finished with 582 total yards. It was a welcome turnaround from offensive struggles against Michigan and Ohio State in their previous two games.

"It was awesome to get back on schedule," Rourke said. "We've been practicing hard and to get back to the offense we're used to -- balanced run, balanced pass. Hopefully, this momentum carries on to whatever is next for us."

Snow and wind didn't bother Rourke, who shredded the Boilers with passes short and long from the start. His 84-yard, second-quarter touchdown pass to receiver Elijah Sarratt was the fifth longest in program history and capped a 99-yard drive. He finished 23-for-31 for 349 yards with a program-record-tying six touchdown passes.

"It's a great honor," Rourke said. "I'm glad I could be part of the record books."

Sarratt totaled eight catches for 165 yards and two TDs. Seven receivers caught at least one pass. Running backs Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton combined for 110 yards and two touchdowns.

Ellison and Lawton became the first program duo to rush for at least 10 touchdowns in the same season. Lawton has 12. Ellison has 10.

IU's defense was just as ruthless against the Big Ten's worst offense. It limited Purdue to 67 total yards, had two sacks, nine tackles for loss, recovered three fumbles, and intercepted two passes. Boiler quarterbacks were just 9-for-21.

"Our defense was tremendous," Cignetti said. "They swarmed the ball, stopped the run, and harassed the quarterback."

Indiana dominance started early. It used a pair of receiver reverse runs – 22 yards by Myles Price, 13 yards by Ke'Shawn Williams -- to set up Ellison's two-yard Wildcat TD run for a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

Linebacker Jailin Walker's interception inside the Purdue 25-yard line resulted in no points when Nicolas Radicic missed from 46 yards. It was his first miss of the season and the only offensive negative.

Rourke's 14-yard touchdown pass to Williams made it 14-0 early in the second quarter. Rourke came back with the 84-yard TD pass to Sarratt for a 21-0 lead. Lawton busted runs of 21 and four yards for another touchdown and a 28-0 halftime score.

Defensive lineman CJ West's fumble recovery to open the third quarter led to Radicic's 26-yard field goal and a 31-0 lead. Rourke's 24-yard touchdown pass to Sarratt and his five-yard TD throw to Horton wrapped up the 45-0 third-quarter lead. Rourke's 34-yard pass to receiver Miles Cross made it 52-0 two minutes into the fourth quarter. Following a Purdue fumble, Rourke's 17-yard TD pass to Omar Cooper Jr. made it 59-0.

Tayven Jackson replaced Rourke and added a touchdown run for the final score.

"We went out with a bang," Katic said. "It's incredible."

And so, a traditionally struggling program, one picked near the bottom of the Big Ten in the preseason, has emerged as a national power in Cignetti's debut Hoosier season.

"When you have capable people who are very motivated, who are disciplined and committed, who have high character, and who keep their eye on the bullseye, anything is possible," Cignetti said. "This group has proven that."

Now it's up to the selection committee to see what's next.

"We'll get a little break, take care of our bodies, practice, and get ready for whoever we play next," Sarratt said.