Purdue boils up 56-7 win over Indiana

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) -- Purdue's comeback is almost complete.

KEYS TO THE GAME
	Purdue	Indiana
Yardage	531	473
First downs	25	23
Broken string: With Saturday's win, Purdue reclaimed the Old Oaken Bucket -- awarded to the winner of this game since 1925 -- and increased its lead in the series to 60-34-6. Indiana had won seven of the previous 10 meetings, including a 33-16 win last season.
How bad it's been: When Jay Rodgers hit O.J. Conner with a 42-yard TD pass early in the second quarter, it was only Indiana's 10th offensive touchdown of the season and just its second in the last seven games.

Ed Watson rushed for 163 yards and two touchdowns as the Boilermakers (No. 25 ESPN/USA Today, No. 23 AP) beat Indiana 56-7 Saturday, finishing the regular season with a winning record for the first time in 13 years.

The only unfinished business now for the Boilermakers (8-3, 6-2 Big Ten) is a bowl bid, which also would be their first since 1984. That invitation should be only a formality when the postseason lineup is fixed in two weeks.

"It means a lot to me, my last year, that we can go out winners," Watson said. "We've had a long, hard four years. It's been wonderful for us. The fact we can also go to a bowl game is great."

The Hoosiers (2-9, 1-7) got 342 yards passing by Jay Rodgers, a record for the 100-game series against the Boilermakers. But Purdue scored 35 points off Indiana turnovers.

"This was a great experience for our players," first-year Purdue coach Joe Tiller said. "It doesn't matter (which bowl Purdue goes to). We're appreciative of whoever wants us."

Indiana trailed only 21-7 at halftime and threatened at the Purdue 3-yard line early in the third quarter before losing the ball on downs. The Hoosiers never threatened again.

"We let them hang around long enough and we started playing ball in the second half," Watson said. "We didn't want them to get confidence and stay with us."

The 56 points by Purdue and the 49-point winning margin were the most in the series since the Boilermakers won 64-0 in 1893.

	Purdue's Edwin Watson dives over Kywan Supernaw during a 19-yard gain.

"Obviously, this year is disappointing, especially when you feel like you can play these guys and hang with them, which a majority of the time we did," Rodgers said. "But a few things fell their way and we weren't able to capitalize on the things we did."

Purdue's Lamar Conard intercepted late in the third quarter, and Watson ran 48 yards for a touchdown on the first play after that to break open the game.

The Boilermakers then scored three touchdowns in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter on a 16-yard pass from Billy Dicken to Isaac Jones, a 24-yard interception return by Mike Rose and a 5-yard run by backup quarterback Drew Brees.

The final Purdue touchdown came with 1:36 to go on a 49-yard run by Tarah Graham, five plays after an interception by Billy Gustin. The only Indiana touchdown came in the second quarter on a 42-yard completion from Rodgers to O.J. Conner, the first passing TD by the Hoosiers since September.

"We have a lot of work to do, and we're starting tomorrow," Indiana coach Cam Cameron said. "The staff and program are young, and we have to bounce back."

After the game, the Purdue players returned to the field, holding the Old Oaken Bucket, the symbol of the in-state football rivalry with the Hoosiers. Purdue leads the overall series 60-34-6 and has a 46-24-3 edge since the first Bucket game in 1925.

Indiana had scored a touchdown in only one of its past six games and was turned back after threatening twice in the first quarter.

Rodgers, who passed for 117 yards in the opening period, completed a 24-yarder to Ben Klusmeyer, who fumbled into the Purdue end zone, where Lee Johnson recovered for the Boilermakers.

"We had opportunities early, but when we had a chance to score a touchdown, you need to score a touchdown, not a touchback," Cameron said.

"It doesn't matter (which bowl Purdue goes to). We're appreciative of whoever wants us." -- Boilermakers coach Joe Tiller

Watson, who scored Purdue's first touchdown on a 14-yard run on the game's first possession, picked up 19 yards on the first play after Johnson's fumble recovery. Dicken then completed passes of 14 yards to Willie Tillman and 43 yards to Brian Alford, and Dicken ran the final 6 yards for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead.

A 47-yard kickoff return by Joey Eloms and a face-mask penalty against Purdue gave the Hoosiers the ball at the Purdue 38 on the next series. Indiana reached the 15, but penalties for clipping and a false start took the ball back to the 40, and two plays later a 42-yard field goal attempt by Andy Payne was blocked by Mike Hawthorne.

Indiana finally scored on its next possession. Rodgers completed all five of his attempts on an 80-yard drive, including the 42-yarder to Conner for the touchdown early in the second period.

Purdue got that back late in the quarter, however, when Jason Spear fumbled at the Indiana 35 and Johnson returned it for a TD and a 21-7 lead at halftime.

Spear rushed for 69 yards and caught an Indiana-record 16 passes for 147 yards. Dicken passed for 204 yards and Alford caught five passes for 115 yards, giving him a Purdue-record 1,167 yards in receptions for the season.