Indiana Goes Perfect for First Time, Beats Purdue in Bucket Game
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Indiana capped its first unbeaten regular season on Friday, rolling past Purdue 56-3 in the 100th Old Oaken Bucket game.
The second-ranked Hoosiers took control early and pushed their record to 12-0, keeping the Bucket in Bloomington for a second straight year and securing their first trip to the Big Ten championship game.
Fernando Mendoza settled in after a cold start, throwing two touchdown passes and running for another. Roman Hemby paced the offense with 152 rushing yards, including an 82-yard touchdown. Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr. added scoring catches, and Kaelon Black punched in two more on the ground.
Purdue finished its season at 2-10 after falling behind early and struggling to find momentum.
Indiana now turns its attention to the Big Ten title game in Indianapolis on Dec. 6, where the Hoosiers will face either Ohio State, Oregon or Michigan.
