Saturday, December 12, 2020, Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Indiana, 3:30 p.m. ET
Boilermakers at Hoosiers Betting Preview: Boilermakers (+10.5), Nickname (-Hoosiers +10.5)
Boilermakers
Purdue (2-4, 2-4 Big Ten) has lost four straight games and is coming off a 37-27 home loss to Nebraska after falling into an early 14-point hole.
Question marks concerning various players’ availability entered the equation early in the week. Purdue canceled Tuesday’s scheduled practice “to evaluate the results of recent COVID-19 testing,” according to a university press release.
The Boilermakers already were missing starting defensive lineman George Karlaftis, who tested positive for COVID-19 in late November, as well as linebacker Jalen Graham.
“As you know, there’s things going on in the world with sickness, so I can’t reveal what’s going on, but he’s going to be out with some issues because of that,” coach Jeff Brohm said of Graham.
The Boilermakers were penalized 11 times for 126 yards against Nebraska.
“It’s playing hard,” Boilermakers linebacker Derrick Barnes said. “It’s football. It happens sometimes. It’s just competing. We can eliminate some of the dumb penalties. But we’re going to compete and play hard to the whistle.”
Receiver David Bell enters play ranked sixth in the nation and first in the Big Ten with an average of 8.8 receptions a game. His eight receiving touchdowns and 104.2 receiving yard average ranked first and third in the Big Ten, respectively.
Hoosiers
Indiana quarterback Jack Tuttle proved a quick study in his first career start last week, throwing for two touchdowns to lead the No. 12 Hoosiers (6-1, 6-1 Big Ten) to a 14-6 win at Wisconsin.
As Indiana prepares to host unranked Purdue, Tuttle figures to draw upon information he gleaned long before this season as well.
“My dad is not a big fan of Purdue, and neither am I,” Tuttle said. “It is a great rivalry game, and we are looking forward to this week.”
To be sure, Tuttle’s father, Jay, a former Indiana placekicker, taught his son about the Old Oaken Bucket rivalry between the in-state Hoosiers and Boilermakers.
While series bragging rights certainly factor on the Hoosiers’ radar, a win against Purdue also would give Indiana its most Big Ten victories in program history as the schools close the conference-only regular season.
Starting for Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award semifinalist Michael Penix Jr., who suffered a season-ending torn ACL in a Nov. 28 win against Maryland, Tuttle went 13-of-22 passing for 130 yards while connecting for touchdowns with Peyton Hendershot and Whop Philyor.
Indiana ended a 10-game skid in the series against Wisconsin.
“I think most people wrote us off because we lost Michael Penix, who is a special player,” Hoosiers coach Tom Allen said. “But we are a football team.”
The Hoosiers’ defense forced two turnovers, running its season total to 20, and Indiana overcame the Badgers’ 342-217 edge in total offense.
Boilermakers at Hoosiers Betting Pick for December 12, 2020
The Boilermakers lead the overall series 74-42-6 and are 60-32-3 since the start of the Old Oaken Bucket portion of the rivalry. Indiana won last year’s meeting 44-41 in double-overtime in West Lafayette as receiver Whop Philyor had eight catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns.
Boilermakers at Hoosiers Betting Pick:
Hoosiers 28, Boilermakers 14
Boilermakers at Hoosiers Best Bet for December 12, 2020
The Hoosiers scored a season-low in last week’s 14-6 win at Wisconsin, only the third time this season they have failed to go over the 30-point mark. The Boilermakers have struggled since opening the season withs over Iowa and Illinois and have failed to get to 30 points twice in their four-game losing streak.
Boilermakers at Hoosiers Best Bet: UNDER 52.5
