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| 11-24-2003 | Previous edition: 11-21-2003 |
        
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Printer-friendly version Hoosiers battle, Purdue prevails
Assistant Sports Editor BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — In a game that was much closer than most expected, inches were what made the difference. On fourth-and-one on the Hoosiers' 37-yard line, Purdue decided to go for it with 2:19 left in the fourth quarter. IU had used all of its timeouts. Sophomore running back Jerod Void hurdled the offensive line for the needed yardage and Purdue (9-3, 6-2 Big Ten) took a knee and its sixth Old Oaken Bucket win during coach Joe Tiller's seven years. Purdue went on to win 24-16, improving its record to 65-35-6 in the all-time series. "We feel fortunate to come out of here with a win," Tiller said. "We felt like Indiana played really inspired football, and our hats go off to them." The Hoosiers (2-10, 1-7) ran through and around the Boilers' rushing defense, which entered the game ranked eighth in the nation, on their way to 196 yards on the ground. Of their 73 total plays from scrimmage, 47 were running calls. "You've got to give their back credit," defensive coordinator Brock Spack said. "He ran hard today." Coach Joe Tiller also heaped praise upon the Hoosiers' surprising rushing attack. "They did a nice job of running their power game," he said. "They did a nice job of getting through some vertical seams and, as a result, they were able to make some big yards." The majority of the Hoosiers' rushing yards belonged to freshman running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who carried 35 times for 155 yards and one touchdown on the day. Saturday's game marked the first time this season that Purdue allowed an opposing player to rush for more than 100 yards. Previously, Wisconsin's Anthony Davis and Michigan's Chris Perry came close, but could muster only 96- and 95-yard efforts. But, in the end, it was the Purdue defense that came out on top, making stops when it needed one the most. "They showed up in the red zone today; that's the measure of a good defense," said Green-Ellis, whose Hoosiers marched down the field several times only to settle for field goal attempts. While IU made three field goals, it failed to convert two others. Part of the reason for Purdue's uncharacteristically soft defense was the absence of senior linebacker Niko Koutouvides, who asked to be taken off the field in the first quarter due to sprains in his knee and ankle. "I couldn't move laterally at all," he said. "I was hurting the team … so I took myself out." Indiana wasn't the only squad that boasted a game-breaking rusher on Saturday. The Boilers' Jerod Void finished behind Green-Ellis with 141 yards of his own on four fewer carries. He put the first points on the scoreboard for Purdue early in the first quarter with a 3-yard touchdown scamper up the middle, a run that gave way to his third 100-yard effort of the season. Purdue added two more touchdowns on passes from junior quarterback Kyle Orton to senior receiver John Standeford. The 41- and 33-yard strikes in the second and third quarters put the Boilers ahead for good. "I just wanted to get into the end zone," Standeford said. "IU came out and played hard and I just wanted to put a few more points on the board." Standeford caught six passes for 151 yards, including those two touchdowns. He is now three catches behind all-time Big Ten receiving record holder David Williams of Illinois with 259 career catches. Purdue now waits to see which bowl will send it a bid. Scouts from the Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl were in attendance for Saturday's win. Indiana-Purdue Statistics No. 16 Purdue 24, Indiana 16 Purdue 7 / 7 / 7 / 3 —24 Indiana 3 / 0 / 10 / 3 — 16 First Quarter Purdue—Void, 3-yard run (Jones kick). 11 plays, 80 yards, Time of Possession 4:25. 10:35 remaining. Indiana—Robertson, 39-yard field goal. 6 plays, 44 yards, TOP 1:28. 9:07 remaining. Second Quarter Purdue—Standeford 41-yard pass from Orton (Jones kick). 5 plays, 72 yards, TOP 2:40. 10:05 remaining. Third Quarter Purdue—Standeford, 33-yard pass from Orton (Jones kick). 6 plays, 60 yards, TOP 2:44. 9:46 remaining Indiana—Green-Ellis, 39-yard run (Robertson kick). 6 plays, 67 yards, TOP 2:02. 5:07 remaining. Indiana—Robertson, 40-yard field goal. 10 plays, 40 yards, TOP 4:03/ 0:00 remaining. Fourth Quarter Purdue—Jones, 22-yard field goal. 8 plays, 74 yards, TOP 3:20. 5:25 remaining. Attendance: 41,404 Purdue / IU First Downs 20 / 16 Rushing attempts 52 / 47 Net yards rushing 1763 / 196 Passing 11-20 / 12-26 Had intercepted 2 / 1 Net yards passing 222 / 115 Total offensive yards 395 / 311 Fumbles-Lost 2-41 / 5-0 Punts-Avg. 5-41.6 / 4-50.0 Penalties-yards 3-13 / 1-10 Possession time 31:09 / 28:51 Sacks by: yards 3-18 3-26 Third downs 5 of 15 / 4 of 18 Fourth downs 1 of 1 / 2 of 4 Individual Statistics RUSHING: Purdue. Void 31-141, Williams 3-16, Brooks 2-11, Jones 3-7, Orton 10-1, Stubblefield 2-(-4). Indiana. Green-Ellis 35-155, LoVecchio 10-19, Beattie 1-18, Roby 1-4. PASSING: Purdue. Orton 11-20-222, 2 interceptions, 2 touchdowns. Indiana. LoVecchno 12-16-115, 1 interception, 0 touchdowns. RECEIVING: Purdue. Standeford 6-151, Stubblefield 2-25, Ingraham 1-22, Chambers 1-13, Jones 1-11. Indiana. Johnson 4-51, Green-Ellis 4-39, Roby 2-12, Pannozzo 1-8, Halteman 1-5. Printer-friendly version |
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