Bucket Stays in Bloomington
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Spin moves are wonderful things when done well.
Case in point -- Indiana running back Kaelon Black.
Exceptional speed can break your will.
Hoosier running back Roman Hemby proved that.
Both were on full display Friday night at Ross-Ade Stadium as second-ranked IU beat rival Purdue 56-3 to retain the Old Oaken Bucket for a second straight season.
That clinched the Hoosiers’ first-ever 12-0 regular season, 9-0 in Big Ten play, the latest in a series of records under coach Curt Cignetti in his two Cream ‘n Crimson seasons. It set up a conference title game showdown next Saturday night at Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium, with the College Football Playoffs to follow.
“This team is a bunch of misfits across the nation and now we are 12-0,” quarterback Fernando Mendoza said. “It’s special group of guys.”
And then …
“This is truly special,” he added. “All of us worked all of our lives to get to this point. There’s no complacency. We have to go harder, train harder. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
The only previous undefeated IU season came in 1945, when it went 9-0-1 to win the Big Ten title. This will be the Hoosiers’ first Big Ten title game appearance.
“We’re a year late,” Cignetti said with a smile. “It will be a great game.”
Then he offered perspective.
“It’s a great job by the players and assistant coaches. I appreciate (IU President) Pam Whitten and (Athletic Director) Scott Dolson for their leadership and support. That made this possible.
“There was a lot of celebration in the locker room. A lot of cigars being smoked. They’re having a good old time. They get to enjoy this for 24 hours.
“It’s a great night for Indiana. It’s something a lot of people thought would never happen. It shows when you have the commitment and the plan and the right people, anything is possible.”
The aftermath left veteran linebacker Aiden Fisher clutching the Oaken Bucket for a mid-field celebration with Cignetti.
“This game means a lot to the team, alums and fans,” Fisher said. “It shows how good a coach Coach Cig is. I wanted to find everybody and show off a great moment.
“We did what we needed to do.”
Consider Black, who spun free from a Purdue tackle attempt to bolt 16 yards for a second-quarter touchdown. He totaled 66 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Hemby followed with an 82-yard second-quarter scoring run, tying the IU record for the longest run in a Bucket game. He finished with 152 yards on 12 carries.
They powered a rushing attack that totaled 355 yards. The IU record for a Bucket game is 401 rushing yards set in 2013.
“There’s a lot more we can accomplish,” Hemby said. “We want to keep winning. Channel that celebration to get better.”
IU has outscored Purdue 122-3 over the last two seasons.
“We wanted to walk out with an exclamation point and not a question mark,” Cignetti said. “We did that.”
An Oaken Bucket record 24 degrees at kickoff didn’t bring snow, and didn’t faze the Hoosiers, some of whom warmed up with sleeveless t-shirts.
The temperature dropped to 20 degrees at the start of the second half.
Receiver Elijah Sarratt started after missing the previous two games with an injury. He finished with three catches for 41 yards and a touchdown.
Mendoza threw for two touchdowns and ran for another. That gives him 32 passing TDs and six rushing scores to tie the program single-season record of 38 total touchdowns set by quarterback Kellen Lewis in 2007.
Defensively, the Hoosiers had 10.0 tackles for loss. Defensive lineman Stephen Daley had 4.5 of them. Linebacker Rolijah Hardy led with 10 tackles.
“There’s a lot of work to be done with what lies ahead,” Cignetti said. We’re excited about the future.”
Safety Amare Ferrell’s fourth interception of the season, coming 48 seconds into the game and set up by pressure from Daley, gave IU the ball at midfield, but the Hoosiers couldn’t capitalize.
They did on their second possession, which included an 18-yard catch by Sarratt and a 15-yard run by Black, who finished off the drive with a one-yard touchdown drive for a 7-0 lead seven minutes into the first quarter.
Purdue got a 22-yard field goal just before the end of the first quarter. IU countered with a touchdown drive that included runs of 15 yards by Hemby and 10 by Black before Mendoza ended it with a 7-yard scoring run to make it 14-3. It was Mendoza’s sixth rushing touchdown of the season.
Mendoza’s 20-yard run was followed by Black’s 16-yard touchdown run and then Hemby’s 82-yard TD run for a 28-3 halftime IU lead. It had 209 rushing yards, 130 by Hemby.
The Hoosiers went run heavy to open the second half before Mendoza hit Sarratt with a 17-yard TD pass for a 35-3 score.
IU got the ball back when Daley forced a fumble and safety Devan Boykin recovered at midfield. Mendoza followed with a 45-yard touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr., who broke three tackles to the end zone for a 42-3 lead.
Alberto Mendoza took over at quarterback and ran 50 yards to set up Khobie Martin’s 21-yard touchdown run and a 49-3 IU lead after three quarters.
Alberto Mendoza hit receiver Davion Chandler with a 65-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter for the final 56-3 score.
For 24 hours, the Hoosiers can celebrate.
“It’s a good accomplishment,” Fisher said, “but it’s on to the next one. “There’s a big opportunity in front of us. The team is already talking about it.
“This is a team that loves each other. Nobody wants to let each other down. We just want to win. We know we have something special and can take this thing pretty far.”