Express Matchup Preview: Purdue at Indiana

Purdue at Indiana from a matchup perspective.

Date/Time: Saturday, November 30, 7 p.m. E.T.

Location: Memorial Stadium

Surface: FieldTurf

Capacity: 52,626 (sold out)

2024 schedules/records: Purdue 1-10 (0-8 Big Ten), Indiana 10-1 (7-1 Big Ten)

Series notes: The in-state rivals will meet for the 126th time on Saturday. Purdue holds a decisive 77-42-6 advantage dating back to 1891, and the Boilermakers enter on a three-game win streak in the series. Traveling south to Bloomington has not been an issue for Purdue historically, as the Boilermakers own a 36-19-2 lead in Monroe County. The Old Oaken Bucket game is the seventh most-played matchup in FBS history. When Purdue last walked into Memorial Stadium, it overcame a slow start to clinch the Big Ten West division title. Saturday will mark the first true night game in rivalry history with a 7 p.m. E.T. kickoff.

TV: FS1 (PxP Tim Brando, Analyst Devin Gardner, Sidelines Josh Sims)

Line: Indiana -28.5, O/U 56.5

Weather: Early forecast shows a high of 33, low of 20 with partly cloudy skies

Purdue Roster | Purdue Game Notes

Indiana Roster | Indiana Game Notes

Pregame: First Look: Indiana | First and 10: Indiana | Report: Purdue’s Ryan Walters ‘trending to return for 2025’ | The 3-2-1: What’s next with Purdue’s season poised to come to merciful end? | Opponent View: Indiana |

Indiana running game versus Purdue against the run

Wake Forest transfer Justice Ellison and James Madison transfer Ty Son Lawton quickly formed a dynamic duo in the Indiana backfield. The tandem splits carries pretty evenly, but they’ve combined to score 20 touchdowns on the ground through 11 games. Both backs came to Indiana with many carries at their previous schools, and the experience shows. Together, they run for over 120 yards per game. The Hoosiers will occasionally use other backs or wide receivers in motion, but it’s a two-headed monster leading the way. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke does possess some ability to use his legs, but after an injury earlier this season, Indiana may proceed with caution when calling designed runs.

Despite better performances against the run in recent weeks, the numbers reflect poorly on Purdue’s run defense. Allowing 197 rushing yards per game, Purdue ranks 114th in the FBS. At over five yards per carry, opponents find success attacking the perimeter of the Purdue defense and exploiting the lack of speed at the second level. Once again, Dillon Thieneman will lead the Boilermakers in tackles this season, a dubious sign for a player who lines up so far off the line of scrimmage. A combination of a subpar defensive line and slow lateral movement at linebacker plagues Purdue in the run game.

Indiana passing game versus Purdue against the pass

Rourke, the Ohio transfer, emerged as one of the Big Ten’s best quarterbacks early on in the season. After starting 33 games at Ohio and earning 2022 MAC Offensive Player of the Year honors, he looked to prove himself at a higher level in his final season of eligibility. He has. Rourke completes 70% of his passes for nearly 250 yards per game. He’s found the end zone 21 times and thrown just four interceptions. His injury history and age may prevent him from earning tons of NFL buzz, but he’s established himself as a dangerous college quarterback.

A blend of transfers and holdovers helps Rourke make it happen through the air. James Madison transfer Elijah Sarratt, Texas Tech transfer Myles Price and Wake Forest transfer Ke’Shawn Williams join Tom Allen-era holdover Omar Cooper to form a solid receiving corps. Rourke spreads the ball reasonably evenly to the group, though Sarratt leads the team in receiving. Six Hoosier pass-catchers have multiple touchdown receptions on the season.

As Purdue’s run defense numbers have improved, the pass defense numbers have worsened. Purdue now ranks outside the top 100 nationally in pass defense, as the better quarterbacks on its schedule enjoyed big days against the Boilermakers. Purdue’s pass rush took a step back from 2023, further exasperating the back end’s struggles. Through 11 games, the Boilermakers have intercepted just four passes and forced a mere five turnovers. Kydran Jenkins and Will Heldt enter the final game with six-and-a-half and five sacks respectively, but it’s not been enough to help hold off potent passing attacks.

Purdue running game versus Indiana against the run

Purdue finished the Michigan State game with -4 rushing yards. Of course, that does factor in losses from sacks, but Purdue’s ground game never threatened the Spartans. The longest run on the day? Eight yards on Purdue’s first play from scrimmage. Despite the slow day, Devin Mockobee did move up the school leaderboards in the loss. He now ranks ninth in career rushing yards and cracked the top 10 in carries and rushing touchdowns. Expect him to see the lion’s share of carries with Reggie Love III factoring into his final collegiate game.

Despite Hudson Card’s ability to do damage on the ground, Purdue remains content with him focusing on throwing. Ryan Walters abandoned ship on the idea of rotating Ryan Browne into the game, mostly eliminating the quarterback run game from Purdue’s repertoire.

Indiana leads the nation in rushing defense, holding foes to a minuscule 76 yards per game on the ground. Opposing ball carriers average 2.6 yards per carry as the Hoosiers frequently force opponents into Inopportune down and distance situations. Though Ohio State saw plenty of success running the ball last week, Indiana still held the Buckeyes well beneath their season average. James Madison linebacker transfer Aiden Fisher leads the team with more than 100 tackles, and another former JMU Duke, Jailin Walker, ranks second. The combination of Purdue’s up-and-down rushing attack and Indiana’s elite run defense doesn’t bode well for the Boilermakers.

Purdue passing game versus Indiana against the pass

Card will suit up in the old gold and black for the final time on Saturday, marking the conclusion of a two-year stretch that likely didn’t play out how either side intended. Purdue hoped the former top-100 recruit could lead an initial surge of success under Ryan Walters, while Card hoped consistent playing time would help him become the next member of the Cradle of Quarterbacks. Neither situation played out, as Purdue is 5-15 in games started by Card and, for a variety of reasons, his statistical profile doesn’t jump off the page. He reached the 300-yard mark for the second time as a Boilermaker last week and will look to make his final performance his best.

One of the lone bright spots on this season’s team: Max Klare. Purdue fans saw a glimpse of his capabilities last September before an injury prematurely ended his season. He leads the Boilermakers in every statistical category, averaging just shy of 60 yards per game. Jahmal Edrine and Jaron Tibbs enter Saturday as the lone receivers with more than 300 yards on the year. The next-best wideout? Shamar Rigby, with 113 yards. The lack of dynamic ability on the outside doesn’t help Purdue’s passing game woes, nor does an inconsistent offensive line.

While not as impressive as the run defense, Indiana does boast a top-25 pass defense nationally. As opponents average 184 yards per game, they do so on less than six yards per attempt. And, in 11 games, they’ve surrendered just 10 passing touchdowns. James Madison transfer Mikail Kamara leads the Big Ten with nine-and-a-half sacks. Another former Duke, James Carpenter, has four under his belt. The Hoosiers rank 24th nationally with 12 interceptions, four coming from Amare Ferrell. No opponent has reached the 300-yard mark against Indiana, something Purdue likely needs to do to spark an upset.

Special teams

Ben Freehill went one-of-two once again last week, though the miss came on a poor snap/hold combination. Something always seems wrong for Purdue in the kicking game, as it ranks last in the conference in field goal percentage. Keelan Crimmins’ breakthrough as a weapon at punter marks the lone bright spot for a Purdue special teams unit that ultimately hurts Purdue more than it helps matters.

Nicolas Radicic remains perfect, sending all eight field goal attempts through the uprights. His season-long is just 41 yards, but the Hoosiers often close drives in the end zone rather than settling for three. Despite a high-profile fumbled snap last week, punter James Evans averages a modest 43 yards per attempt. The return game provides little juice for the Hoosiers, as well.

Intangibles

Classic logic would tell you to throw out the records in a rivalry game, but it’s impossible to do so when previewing Saturday’s matchup. Purdue enters with a 1-10 record, on a 10-game losing streak and with questions about the future of Walters swirling among fans. The fan base’s tenor is clear: it wants change. While coaches will tell you the locker room tunes out external noise, the displeasure can’t go unnoticed. To Purdue’s credit, it’s shown fight throughout most of the season, especially in rallying back from early deficits against Illinois, Northwestern and Michigan State. But, without a stunning victory on Saturday, 2024 will go down as one of the worst seasons in Purdue history. Does Purdue show hunger after another disappointing defeat?

On the flip side, Indiana will take the field in front of a sold-out Memorial Stadium, looking to close out arguably the finest regular season in program lore. A non-competitive loss at Ohio State doesn’t appear to be enough to exclude the Hoosiers from the College Football Playoff, putting Indiana in a “win and in” scenario. Curt Cignetti raised eyebrows when he declared “Purdue sucks” at a Hoosier basketball game last winter, but his squad will look to snap a three-game drought in the series. The vibes could not be further apart on the two sides of the rivalry.