The story of the game, and the season for that matter up to this point, was Purdue’s inability to stop opposing teams from big plays. Against the Illini, the Boilers gave up big play after big play in both
offensive phases of the game.
The Boilers looked strong on offense most of the game and went up 7-0 early following a 25 yard Antonio Harris that was followed by another weird Ryan Browne rushing touchdown. Following a poor snap that he fumbled, he picked it up and scored from one yard out. It was a lead that would be short lived once the second quarter started.
The Illini put up 27 points in an absolutely dismal second quarter that saw the Boilers give up big play after big play. In fact, the Illini scored on two possessions that took a total of 3 plays and just 1:01 of game clock that racked up 142 yards. For the game, the Illini totaled 13 big plays ( passes that are longer than 15 yards and rushes longer than 10 yards) while the Boilers only mustered 7.
Purdue just self-inflicted itself into a hole that it isn’t designed to get themselves out of. Whether it was big plays when Purdue has started to gain momentum, poor penalties, or their own turnovers like a fumbled punt return, the Boilers could never quite turn the tide of the game once the Illini had it.
A key point in that first half that showcases the struggles of the Purdue defensive secondary came following a fumble by Michael Jackson III. On the first play that followed, two Purdue defensive backs ran into one another that led to an Illini receiver being wide open for a 62 yard touchdown.
On the very next Illini possession, the Boilers forced a 4th and 4 but Taj Ra-El jumped off sides. Illini QB Luke Altmeyer found hank Beatty down the left sideline for another big play in the passing game that led to the Illini scoring two plays later making the game 17-7. The Illini would later score an additional 10 points to cap a 27 point second quarter.
The Boilers did respond well with a 60 yard pass from Browne to Corey Smith that made the halftime score 27-14 but the damage had been done through those big plays that again seemed to force the defensive staff to make adjustments to a flawed secondary in hopes of slowing down the Illini. In that first half alone, the Illini hit on 10 big plays that would account for 282 of their 339 yards.
In the second half, the defense looked better but when plays were presented to be made the Boilers couldn’t quite muster up what they needed to make it a one score game. The Boilers responded with a quick scoring drive that had Antonio Harris rush off the right side for a 41 yard touchdown, his first touchdown of his career.
That score made the game 30-21 with just over 9 minutes left in the 3Q. The defense finally got a stop but MJIII turned it over for the Boilers on the punt return. That setup the Illini inside the ten yard line and they went up 33-21 following a big sack on third down by the Boilers to force a field goal.
After that, the Boilers seemed unable to grab any sort of traction as they couldn’t get close than 9 points and seemingly chased their own tail the rest of the game be squandering their opportunities. It was a painful repeat of the USC game where fans felt Purdue could have competed with a top 25 team for a victory at Ross Ade Stadium. Instead, it will be another week of searching for the positives in a loss against a very good opponent.
The biggest takeaway from today might be Purdue’s struggles in the middle quarters against the last three opponents. Against Notre Dame, USC, and the Illini, Purdue is being outscored 109-40 for an average of 36.3 – 13.3 per game. That is likely the biggest question mark for this team moving forward.
