3 reasons IU lost to Purdue: Dexter Williams injury is salt in the wound of a rough season
BLOOMINGTON — IU football closed out what was already a disappointing season with further disappointment in a loss to Purdue, failing to claim the Old Oaken Bucket for the second straight year. Here are three reasons Indiana fell 30-16 to the Boilermakers.
An early injury to Dexter Williams II forced IU out of its offensive rhythm
IU’s offense was humming. Sticking to the same formula that helped them beat Michigan State a week earlier, the Hoosiers were keeping the ball on the ground, running down Purdue’s throat until the Boilermakers proved they could stop it. There was no indication they could late in the first quarter.
IU got on the board with a 71-yard burst down the left sideline from Jaylin Lucas and was in the midst of another efficient, ball-control drive — 10 runs, one pass totaling 44 yards — when quarterback Dexter Williams II dropped back and tried to scramble. The redshirt sophomore’s right leg buckled as he tried to cut. He crumpled to the ground.
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Williams eventually left on the injury cart and was taken to the hospital, IU announced. It was his second start since taking over for Connor Bazelak against Ohio State.
Bazelak entered, handed the ball to Josh Henderson for a gain of four and threw incomplete. Charles Campbell ended the drive by missing a 44-yard field goal.
For the rest of the game, the IU playbook subtly shifted. The emphasis remained on the run, but Bazelak can’t pull the ball and take it himself the way Williams can. Purdue was able to stack the box and force Bazelak to win the game. He ended the night 24-for-42 for 201 yards with a touchdown and a pick in just over three flat quarters of action. The Hoosiers weren't able to move the ball as effortlessly as they did to begin the game.
IU won the first half in the trenches, so Purdue adjusted
Purdue entered the game with one of the most prolific passing offenses in the Big Ten. Having struggled through the air all season, Indiana kept quarterback Aidan O'Connell in check by winning up front. The Boilermakers' second drive ended after the pocket caved in on O'Connell on third down, resulting in a sack for Alfred Bryant. On their next possession, Demarcus Elliott got to O'Connell on first down, quickly killing the drive with Purdue well behind the sticks.
Purdue adjusted in the second half, running plays that called for passes near the line of scrimmage and getting the ball out of O'Connell's hand quickly. On the Boilermakers' first drive on the second half, the strategy got them down to IU territory before taking the lead with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Payne Durham. The short passes eventually opened up the rest of the field, and the dagger came on a 60-yard bomb to a wide open Charlie Jones in the fourth quarter. O'Connell finished 18-for-29 for 290 yards and two touchdowns.
IU missed its chance to play spoiler
The game's stakes heightened the night before kickoff. Nebraska upset Iowa, opening the door for Purdue to make the Big Ten championship game with a win over Indiana. On the opposite side of coin was an opportunity for the Hoosiers: they had a chance to salvage a deeply forgettable season by winning two straight trophy games and ruining the end for their biggest rival.
But any Hoosiers momentum, and chance of a good feeling entering the offseason, disappeared when Williams didn't get up from the turf in the first quarter. IU never found the rhythm it had before the injury. Last week's win over Michigan State meant Indiana wouldn't close the year on a losing streak, but Saturday was another missed chance at a positive in a season that has seen so few of them.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IU football vs. Purdue Old Oaken Bucket: Hoosiers fall to Boilermakers
