Houston's long TD
Midway through the first quarter, IU drew first blood, with Stephen Houston running right up the middle, untouched, for a 52-yard TD.
The Hoosier line created a hole right up the gut and Houston ran into a space linebacker Will Lucas vacated by breaking inside on what might have been some kind of stunt. Anyway, there was no linebacker filling the gap after Lucas got cut down by a blocker.
Safety Albert Evans could have been in position to make a play, but got caught at a bad angle because he was creeping up to the line at the snap of the ball. All he could do was throw himself at Houston's feet in vain, as the running back scored easily.
Purdue's first TD
Just moments after Caleb TerBush threw a nice pass to Antavian Edison for 25 yards on third-and-23, the two hooked up for Purdue's first touchdown, a 14-yarder.
On second-and-one from the 14, Purdue lined TerBush up out of the shotgun and moved the pocket to the right, where Edison was lined up in the slot.
Ralph Bolden took out a linebacker coming off the edge and the offensive line just enveloped the Hoosier front at TerBush's back, allowing the QB time to set himself, wind up and throw to Edison streaking across the back of the end zone toward the back right corner, behind two Hoosiers. It was a perfect throw and an easy catch for Edison, who took great care in making sure he got not one, but two, feet in-bounds, to make sure the TD would have counted had this been the NFL.
It made the score 14-all late in the first quarter.
Mostert's return
With Purdue down 17-10, freshman Raheem Mostert yet again gave the Boilermakers a big play in the return game, setting up a touchdown with a 81-return down to the IU 4.
Mostert fielded the kickoff around the 10-yard line, toward the Hoosier sideline, but ran horizontally as he hit a hole around the 20. It was pretty simple from there as either Purdue had the play very well blocked, IU was grotesquely out of position or a combination thereof.
The play started with off-return man Akeem Hunt taking on a Hoosier running full speed right at Mostert just as he got going. Hunt was knocked to the ground, but the collision took the IU guy out of the play.
Just as Mostert accelerated through traffic, there was a Hoosier in the vicinity who should have been in position to make a play, but ran straight at Mostert, conceding the angle.
Probably the return's key block was thrown at about the Hoosier 40 by tight end Gabe Holmes, who got out in front of Mostert to seal off the sideline ever so slightly just as Mostert easily beat the kicker out in open space. As Mostert advanced up the sideline, the complexion of the play changed, because as he slowed up ever so slightly, it allowed Crosby Wright and Chris Quinn a chance to catch up and join Holmes in front of Mostert.
At the 18, Mostert was confronted by Dre Muhammad, who finally freed himself from Holmes' block to get an arm around Mostert, slowing him up so that others could jump in and help make the tackle.
But perhaps the most impressive part of the return came at the end, when the freshman milked a good five more yards out of it even with three Hoosiers on his back.
Ralph Bolden scored one play later, tying the game at 17-all.
Hunt's 50-yard run
After Bolden's injury, the running game didn't slow down with freshman Akeem Hunt in there.
Hunt's 50-yard run was Purdue's biggest play of the day from scrimmage.
It was in the fourth quarter with Purdue up 26-17 and snapping the ball from its own 45.
Justin Siller was lined up at QB in the Wildcat, taking a shotgun snap and handing to Hunt heading left.
Two IU linebackers clearly reacted to the possibility of Siller keeping the ball headed right. Both leaned inside as Hunt broke outside without interference.
Safety Donnel Jones came up in run support, but all it took for Hunt to shake him was a quick lateral step that left the DB just diving at the ball-carrier's feet and coming up empty.
The missed tackle broke Hunt into the clear running up the Purdue sideline, with O.J. Ross blocking - steering, actually - a DB up the field as Hunt came up behind.
Hunt had to cut inside Ross' block and back to the middle of the field, where safety Mark Murphy was running to try to stay in front of Hunt and ultimately turn and make a play. A couple quick changes of direction left Murphy wobbly as be back-tracked, but he was able to run enough interference on Hunt to allow corner Kenny Mullen to make the tackle from behind, inside the Hoosier 5.
Antavian Edison ran for a TD shortly thereafter.
Josh Johnson's interception
With 4:11 to play in the fourth quarter and IU driving down eight, Josh Johnson's interception of Tre Roberson's jump ball heave to Kofi Hughes effectively closed the door on the Hoosiers.
It was a first-and-10 play from Indiana's 35. Roberson took a shotgun snap and rolled right with little pressure.
But as the freshman quarterback seemed poised to throw, he hesitated and pulled the ball back down, allowing Ryan Russell and Bruce Gaston a chance to get in his face.
Just prior to the two Boilermaker defensive linemen squashing him, Roberson just let it fly deep over the middle for Hughes, who basically ended up in a one-on-one block-out situation with Johnson, who was all by himself since the pass was deeper than both safeties.
When Hughes jumped, he inexplicably drifted backward, instead of going to the ball. That angling allowed Johnson a chance to get an equal shot at the ball and intercept it at the Purdue 22.
Real time, it looked like a simultaneous catch, but when the duo hit the ground - Johnson a split second before Hughes - Johnson had both arms around the ball even though on first contact, Hughes seemed to have the ball controlled up against his chest.
No matter, the play was not reviewable and the game's deciding play stood. Simultaneous possession in the field of play can not be reviewed and even if it could, the play was probably way to close to over-turn.
It was a hell of a play by Johnson and a poor play by the receiver, who was steadied enough, it appeared, to make a move toward the ball as it arrived, in which case he seemed to have position enough on Johnson to maybe make a cleaner play on it that he ultimately did.
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