Purdue football defeats Indiana, advances to Big Ten Championship against Michigan
BLOOMINGTON - Thanks to an assist from Nebraska, Purdue has a chance to win its first Big Ten football championship since 2000.
When the Huskers defeated Iowa on Friday, it opened the door for the Boilermakers to earn the West Division's spot in the conference title game with a win over Indiana.
Purdue handled its part, defeating the Hoosiers 30-16 at Memorial Stadium Saturday.
The Boilermakers (8-4) play No. 3 Michigan (12-0), which defeated Ohio State 45-23 to win the East, in the Big Ten Championship at 8 p.m. next Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
It was Charlie Jones' 60-yard touchdown reception with 9:38 to go that proved to be the crucial moment propelling the Boilermakers into their first league title game. Purdue sealed it with Cory Trice's pick-six with 2:17 to go.
Purdue vs. IU game highlights: Boilermakers beat IU to clinch Big Ten West title
Purdue last won the Big Ten in 2000. The conference did not have a designated championship game until 2011.
Purdue's opening drive showed a lot of promise.
The Boilermakers had first downs on four consecutive plays before stalling at the 12-yard line, resulting in Mitchell Fineran's 29-yard field goal for an early 3-0 lead, but other than that, it was a first half dominated by the Hoosiers.
Indiana, which came in ranked 13th in the Big Ten with 101.4 rushing yards per game, gained 166 on the ground in the opening half.
The Hoosiers did so without Dexter Williams II, who started at quarterback and was carted off after going down with a non-contact injury. That drive resulted in Indiana missing a 44-yard field goal after getting to the 24 before Williams' went out.
A big chunk of IU's first-half rushing total came on the Hoosiers' second offensive play, an option pitch to freshman Jaylin Lucas, who raced 71 yards down the sideline for a touchdown that held up until halftime.
Indiana's 7-3 lead wouldn't last.
The Hoosiers had consecutive three-and-outs to open the second half, while Purdue's first two drives resulted in touchdowns.
Payne Durham's 15-yard touchdown catch capped an eight-play, 82-yard drive that put the Boilermakers ahead 10-7. Devin Mockobee's 27-yard touchdown run with 6:06 to go in the third quarter gave Purdue a 17-7 advantage.
Indiana responded by marching into the red zone, but settled for a field goal attempt that was blocked by Kydran Jenkins.
The Boilermakers ended up outscoring Indiana 27-9 in the second half and twice in the fourth quarter forced the Hoosiers to turn the ball over on downs. Indiana's only second-half touchdown came on the game's final play.
Jones finished with 143 yards on four catches and Aidan O'Connell completed 18 of 29 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns. Mockobee rushed for 99 yards and added five catches for 58 yards.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue vs Indiana football: Boilermakers advance to Big Ten title game
