Rourke throws record-tying 6 TD passes as No. 10 Indiana beats Purdue and awaits CFP fate
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Kurtis Rourke threw two of his record-tying six touchdown passes to Elijah Sarratt, Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton each ran for scores and No. 10 Indiana routed rival Purdue 66-0 to reclaim the Old Oaken Bucket and now must wait to find out its College Football Playoff fate.
The Hoosiers (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten, No. 10 CFP) capped a historic regular season with a school-record 11th win. They handed Purdue its most lopsided loss in the 125-game series, eclipsing the previous mark of 52-7 in 1988. It was also Indiana’s largest home win in the series, surpassing the 37-0 victory in 1917 and the largest league win in school history.
The only blemish: Indiana was eliminated from the Big Ten championship game when No. 4 Penn State beat Maryland 44-7 earlier Saturday.
Purdue (1-11, 0-9) closed the season with another ugly chapter.
The Boilermakers lost their last 11 games, suffered three shutouts and six losses of 35 or more points, including Saturday’s — the most lopsided loss in Purdue history, breaking the 66-7 mark set earlier this season.
Purdue went winless in league play for the fourth time since 1946, failed to beat an FBS foe for just the second time in college football’s modern era and was shut out by Indiana for the first time since 1945.
The cold, snowy conditions that forced field crew members to use leaf blowers to clear the hash marks and yard lines during the first half only made the sting of this loss worse.
Ellison’s 2-yard run midway through the first quarter gave Indiana the lead. The Hoosiers made it 28-0 with three second-quarter scores — a 14-yard pass from Rourke to Ke’Shawn Williams, an 84-yard TD pass from Rourke to Elijah Sarratt and Lawton’s 4-yard run.
The Boilermakers never recovered.
Rourke was 23 of 31 with 349 yards, becoming the third Indiana player with six TD passes in a game. Sarratt caught eight passes for 165 yards as Indiana outgained Purdue 582-67 in total yards.
Boilermakers quarterback Hudson Card was 6 of 13 with 35 yards and one interception. He did not play in the second half.
Takeaways
Purdue: The Boilermakers added another miserable memory to maybe the worst season in school history: Giving away the Old Oaken Bucket. Now the questions begin. What went wrong? What can be fixed? Will coach Ryan Walters return for his third season?
Indiana: The Hoosiers rebounded from their first loss with another good showing. Indiana fixed the blocking miscues that plagued it the previous two weeks and even though the Hoosiers fell just short of playing for a Big Ten title, they still could host a playoff game.
Poll implications
The zaniness of rivalry week could push Indiana up a few spots, though they’re more interested in seeing where the playoff selection committee puts the Hoosiers.
Up next
Purdue: Winter workouts and spring practice.
Indiana: Waits to find out its next opponent — and whether it could host a playoff game.