| A year after wondering whether Brohm was actually going to get Purdue to turn a corner, and whether Indiana was going to be able to keep Tom Allen from getting poached by a bigger football program, the programs find themselves in opposite positions going into the 2021 Bucket Game, a game that was cancelled last year. Indiana is in the midst of their worst season in a decade, while with a win, Purdue would have their first 8 win regular season since 2006, and first 6 game conference season since the 2000 Rose Bowl team. How did Indiana fall off so quickly? Well, it seems Michael Penix Jr. was even more important to the offense than we thought he was. And then the defense, Tom Allen's calling card, hasn't been able to hold up getting absolutely nothing from the offense. It's not as bad as some of the standard numbers would suggest (#63 in SP+), but it's not as good as last year either, and certainly not good enough to cover up for this offense, the Big Ten's worst at #101 in SP+. Any of four quarterbacks, yes, Penix, again, could start for Indiana this week. Getting Stephen Carr back at running back would help some. He is clearly their best back, but hasn't played since getting hurt in the first quarter against Michigan. Tiawen Mullen, who might be the best cornerback in the conference when healthy, might also play. He has only played in one game (Maryland) in conference play. The Hoosiers could certainly use him, because Purdue is going to pass, defensive scheme be damned. Here though, it makes sense, neutralizing Micah McFadden, who has been Indiana's best player, a run stopping linebacker. Purdue continues to be the most pass happy team in the Big Ten, and one of just three Power 5 teams who pass more than 60% of the time, along with Virginia and Mississippi State. There's no reason to think Indiana has a shot here, other than the fact that it's a rivalry game, and Indiana has had nothing to play for for a month, except now the spoil Purdue's season. Even if Indiana has Mullen back, to put on David Bell, that won't be nearly enough. |
