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11/28 22:24 CST No. 2 Indiana moves to 12-0, earns Big Ten title game spot with
56-3 win at Purdue
No. 2 Indiana moves to 12-0, earns Big Ten title game spot with 56-3 win at
Purdue
By MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) --- Kaelon Black had two touchdown runs and Fernando
Mendoza and Roman Hemby each ran for scores as No. 2 Indiana beat rival Purdue
56-3 on Friday night, completing the first perfect regular season in school
history and securing a Big Ten championship game berth.
The Hoosiers (12-0, 9-0, No. 2 CFP) also likely locked up a second straight
College Football Playoff berth. They'll find out Saturday whether they'll play
No. 1 Ohio State, No. 5 Oregon or No. 15 Michigan a week later for the
conference title.
Indiana celebrated by hoisting the Old Oaken Bucket in the series' 100th trophy
game, while Curt Cignetti became the first Indiana coach since Bo McMillin in
1934-35 to win his first two matchups against Purdue.
Purdue (2-10, 0-9) endured more misery in the coldest game ever played at
Ross-Ade Stadium, with a kickoff temperature of 24 degrees Fahrenheit. The
Boilermakers closed coach Barry Odom's first season with a 10th straight loss
and posted their second straight winless season in conference play, the first
since 1919-20.
It took the Hoosiers a quarter to adapt to the chilly conditions.
Mendoza, who grew up in Miami and previously attended California, struggled. He
went 8 of 15 for 117 yards and two TDs in less than three quarters. So the
Hoosiers flipped the script.
"We've had a hard time getting the passing game going, but we've been getting
some explosive plays on the ground," Cignetti said at halftime. "We're pretty
balanced, so if you take away one, the other usually opens up."
Black opened the scoring with a 1-yard run, Mendoza scooted 7 yards to make it
14-3 early in the second quarter, and Black spun away from a defender for a
nimble 16-yard TD run with 3:40 to play in the first half. Hemby closed out the
first-half scoring with an 82-yard TD run down Purdue's sideline, stiff-arming
the only potential tackler who had a chance to catch him, for a 28-3 lead.
The Hoosiers sealed it with Mendoza's two third-quarter TD passes --- 17 yards
to Elijah Sarratt and 43 yards to to Omar Cooper Jr.
Hemby had 12 carries for a season-high 152 yards while Black ran 13 times for
66 yards. Indiana finished with 355 yards rushing, its second-highest total
this season and sixth 300-yard game this season.
Purdue's Ryan Browne was 25 of 47 for 238 yards and threw an interception on
the second offensive play of the game. The Boilermakers had just 282 total
yards.
The takeaway Purdue: The Boilermakers were more competitive in 2025 than 2024. But the result was similar. Purdue enters next year on another losing streak, this time 10 games instead of 11, and still trying to snap its school-record 18-game skid in conference play. Indiana: Many wondered if the Hoosiers would be one-hit wonders after last year's historic season. But Cignetti promised there would be no decline in 2025 --- and there wasn't. With the nation's second-best scoring offense and scoring defense, a Heisman Trophy front-runner and a perfect record, the Hoosiers are better positioned to make a playoff run than they were last year.
Up next Purdue: Another offseason roster overhaul. Indiana: The Big Ten championship game next Saturday in Indianapolis. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
The takeaway Purdue: The Boilermakers were more competitive in 2025 than 2024. But the result was similar. Purdue enters next year on another losing streak, this time 10 games instead of 11, and still trying to snap its school-record 18-game skid in conference play. Indiana: Many wondered if the Hoosiers would be one-hit wonders after last year's historic season. But Cignetti promised there would be no decline in 2025 --- and there wasn't. With the nation's second-best scoring offense and scoring defense, a Heisman Trophy front-runner and a perfect record, the Hoosiers are better positioned to make a playoff run than they were last year.
Up next Purdue: Another offseason roster overhaul. Indiana: The Big Ten championship game next Saturday in Indianapolis. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
