2002 Bucket Game

2002 – November 23

1              2              3              4              T

IND        0              3              0              7              10

PUR       7              10           7              10             34

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) _ Brandon Jones ran for 131 yards and two touchdowns as Purdue beat Indiana 34-10 to become bowl-eligible for a sixth straight season and regain the Old Oaken

Bucket.

Purdue stormed the field and huddled for the Bucket presentation. Players held it over their heads and ran toward the crowd in celebration. Fans spilled out onto the field, but they were calm and followed the team back in the direction of the locker room instead of trying to tear down the goal posts.

The Boilermakers (6-6, 4-4 Big Ten) are headed for their sixth bowl game in six seasons under coach Joe Tiller. They had only been to five bowls before he took over _ and none since 1984.

Kyle Orton, who on Tuesday said he would consider transferring if he couldn't win back his starting job next spring, came off the bench to lead Purdue on five scoring drives and 539 yards of total offense.

Orton completed his first five attempts and was 22-for-28 overall for 173 yards, picking apart Indiana (3-9, 1-7) with short passes while moving the ball downfield.

Brandon Kirsch started for the Boilermakers and threw their only touchdown pass, placing the ball on the outstretched hands of John Standeford for a 60-yard score on their first possession. They led

7-0 and never trailed.

After Kirsch _ who was 2-for-6 for 70 yards _ finished a drive that had started at the end of the first quarter, he was pulled on the next series for Orton. That drive ended with a 41-yard touchdown run by Jones, who took a pitch through a wide-open hole on the right, and cut back toward midfield at the 20 before dragging two defenders into the end zone for a 14-3 lead.

Berin Lacevic added a 31-yard field goal for a 17-3 halftime lead. Jerod Void had a 1-yard TD, Jones added a 4-yard score and Lacevic kicked a 23-yarder in the second half. Joey Harris ran for 102 yards and became the seventh Boilermaker to rush for 1,000 yards. He has 1,022 yards.

Indiana's only points came on Bryan Robertson's 50-yard field goal and Gibran Hamdan's 6-yard TD pass to Stephen Anthony late in the fourth. That score was set up by an 85-yard kickoff return to Purdue's 6 by A.C. Carter.

Indiana receiver Courtney Roby became the third Hoosier to reach the 1,000-yard mark with three catches for 65 yards. He finished with 1,039 yards.

Last year, Indiana won the Old Oaken Bucket for the first time since 1996 with a 13-7 victory. The Boilermakers lead the series 64-35-6, and the Bucket portion of the series 50-25-3. The inaugural Bucket game was in 1925.