No. 10 Indiana resumes playoff push with Purdue duel on faucet

Within the closing evaluation, final week’s 38-15 loss at No. 2 Ohio State was no dying knell in any respect for Indiana.

The chaos that enveloped final week’s prime 12 within the School Soccer Playoff enabled the Hoosiers to remain contained in the playoff discipline. They dropped from No. 5 to tenth.

Which means a win Saturday evening at house of their regular-season finale with in-state rival Purdue would carry one other layer to Indiana’s historic season — a spot within the 12-team playoff.

And will the Buckeyes stumble at house of their rivalry recreation in opposition to 6-5 Michigan, Indiana might additionally earn a spot within the Massive Ten Convention championship recreation Dec. 7 in opposition to top-ranked Oregon.

“We’re sitting in a great place however we have to handle enterprise,” stated first-year Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti.

Whereas the overdogs from Ohio State poked enjoyable at Cignetti’s brashness after Saturday’s recreation, there is not any query he is the odds-on favourite for nationwide Coach of the 12 months. A program that is run fairly brutal for generations, except for a scattered good season or two alongside the way in which, has risen from seventeenth place in preseason Massive Ten predictions to controlling its future to get into the playoff.

The 2 issues Indiana (10-1, 7-1) needs to do within the season finale are repair considerations that ropped up final week and never take the Boilermakers (1-10, 0-8) as a right. Indiana was put in as a four-touchdown favourite to pound Purdue.

They’d wish to get their offense going once more after a few weeks the place they’ve struggled. Ohio State’s bodily protection restricted them to 151 complete yards, most of these approaching two landing drives. In a 20-15 win over Michigan Nov. 9, Indiana managed simply 246 yards of offense.

“We have got to get again in sync offensively and get our rhythm again the place we’re taking part in with a variety of confidence,” Cignetti stated.

Whereas the Hoosiers purpose to return to kind, the Boilermakers embrace the position of spoiler to finish a forgettable season with a memorable upset. Somehow, modifications are coming to a program that is gone backwards in coach Ryan Walters’ second yr.

Walters is reportedly secure win or lose to return for a 3rd season.

“I am wanting ahead to Saturday. That’s what I’m targeted on proper now,” he stated. “These are the issues which are proper in entrance of us proper now. After Saturday, I will sit up for the following wave of issues.”

Since opening the yr with a 49-0 blanking of FCS opponent Indiana State, the Boilermakers have been largely pummeled. There have been shut video games, like final week’s 24-17 setback at Michigan State, however they’ve been outscored 411-130 for the reason that opener.

If Purdue is to offer itself an opportunity on the upset, it is going to most likely want an enormous recreation from quarterback Hudson Card (1,606 yards, 9 touchdowns). It’s going to additionally want some huge performs from defenders like linebacker Kydran Jenkins, who has 6.5 sacks this season and 23 in his profession.

The Boilermakers personal a 77-42-6 lead within the all-time sequence, which awards the winner the Previous Oaken Bucket. Purdue has received the final three matchups, together with a 35-31 victory final yr on Card’s 10-yard landing run with 2:39 left.

–Area Stage Media