Indiana made a convincing statement they belong in the College Football Playoff on a snowy field in Bloomington on Saturday evening.
And records were smashed.
The Hoosiers recorded their first ever 11 win season, finishing 11-1 for the regular season with a 66-0 win over Purdue. That’s two more wins than the previous program single-season record set in 1967 and 1945.
It was the most points Indiana scored against Purdue, and IU nearly had more points (66) than Purdue had yards (67).
It was IU’s biggest margin of victory ever over their rival, surpassing a 52-7 win in 1988, and their widest margin over any Big Ten team and even any FBS team, ever. And it was Indiana’s first shutout of the Boilers since 1945.
Oh, and it was Purdue’s worst loss in their program history.
Quarterback Kurtis Rourke tied the program’s all-time single game touchdown pass record with six. He found five different receivers for those TDs.
Rourke found Elijah Sarratt for two of the scores. With 165, Sarratt posted the most receiving yards ever by an Indiana player against Purdue.
IU outgained Purdue by over 500 total yards, putting up 582 yards of offense in the win. The 67 yards of total offense allowed marks the fewest yards of total offense allowed since at least 1958. With just five first downs allowed, Indiana’s defense tied for the fewest in a game since at least 1958. It also allowed five first downs against Eastern Illinois (2019) and Minnesota (1958).
Indiana was No. 10 in the latest CFP rankings and the No. 11 seed in the bracket, which placed them precariously close to getting passed if they didn’t play well against Purdue.
But IU’s biggest threat, No. 12 Clemson, lost on Saturday, and Indiana’s dominant effort should have all but sealed their spot somewhere in the CFP bracket.
“Oh yeah, we’re in the Playoff,” IU coach Curt Cignetti said during his postgame radio interview.
We won’t know for sure until the CFP Selection Committee announces the final bracket on Dec. 8.
Here are a few more notable numbers from the win over Purdue, and the season:
- With its fifth 30-point win, the 2024 edition equals the program record from the 1917 season.
- Indiana’s 69 offensive touchdowns on the season are its most in program history. The total passes the 2013 team’s 61 offensive touchdowns.
- Indiana’s 37 rushing touchdowns are tied for the most in a single season in program history with the 1988 team.
- Justice Ellison (10) and Ty Son Lawton (11) become the first set of Indiana running backs to reach 10-plus rushing touchdowns in the same season. They are the third IU duo to reach the mark, with the previous two including a quarterback (1991, 2000).
- Nicolas Radicic extended his single-season record for extra points made with 69 on the year. He moved his way to No. 10 on the program’s career extra points made list with 71.
- Kurtis Rourke’s 349 passing yards ranks him at No. 7 in the top passing performances in Bucket Game history and second best from a Hoosier. He moved his way to No. 7 on the single-season passing yardage list with 2,827 yards passing. He’s tied for No. 2 on the single-season passing touchdowns list with 27. His 349 yards moved his season total to four 300-yard passing games which ranks No. 3 on IU’s single season charts.
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