10 Observations Illinois-Purdue

Here is what has us talking after Purdue fell to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in the Big Ten in a 43-27 loss to No. 22 Illinois on Saturday in Ross-Ade Stadium.

1 – Defense? Defense! Not a good day. Every time fans looked up from their tub of buttered popcorn, a wide open Illinois receiver was catching the ball … or at least it seemed like that. This defensive effort was arguably the worst of season. And the Boilers had two weeks to prepare. Purdue allowed over 500 yards (507) for a second game in a row after yielding 535 at Notre Dame. It allowed 460 vs. USC.

“I believe in Purdue and for us to play the way we did today, I thought from coaching staff all the way down was awful,” said Barry Odom.

“I look at this place as special, and you walk into that stadium and the students are sold out, you walk in, and the energy that Ross-Ade creates, and for us to play the way that we did, very disappointed in my coaching staff and in our in our team. And I can’t be any more honest than that.”

2 – The Illini feasted on the Purdue DBs. As mentioned, time and again, Illinois wideouts were wide open. Purdue was without CB Tony Grimes, considered to be the team’s No. 1 corner (hurt in practice on Wednesday). In his absence, Purdue started Traveon Wright along side Hudauri Hines. And the Illini feasted with 390 yards passing.

“Nobody said it was going to be an easy process,” said Odom. “It was frustrating, because I thought our offense, at least, they kept us in the game the first half, but we didn’t do anything defensively well enough to win a game against anyone, and credit to Illinois.”

3 – The run game had been an issue but it showed life today en route to gaining 151 yards. Credit Antonio Harris, whose 41-yard TD jaunt was a highlight on a day he had 69 yards on four carries. Devin Mockobee? He had made a living vs. Illinois, notching 343 total yards (275 rushing) against in his career vs. the Illini. But Mockobee was held in check on this day with 58 yards on 11 carries. Still, he was dynamic at times.

4 – Luke Altmyer looked like a Heisman contender today. He was allowed to work unfettered, slicing and dicing the Purdue defense en route to hitting 19-of-22 passes for 390 yards and a TD.

5 – Purdue entered the game averaging 4.3 penalties, ninth in the Big Ten. Purdue had four at halftime, and they were killers, too. There was an offside call on the D, a personal foul on the D, face mask by the D, illegal formation by the offense. Purdue finished with eight penalties for 64 yards.

“We talk about our plan to win,” said Odom. “One of those areas is turnover margin. We lost that. Penalties are crucial times. We’re not good enough to overcome penalties. We’re just not, and so most teams in college football aren’t, so we got to fix it.”

6 – Not a good day for WR Michael Jackson. Yes, he made 14 catches, but he lost at fumble in the second quarter that resulted in a TD and flubbed a punt in the third that resulted in a field goal.

7 – Ryan Browne came on stage in last year’s game vs. Illinois, a 50-49 OT loss. Browne and the Boilers came nowhere close to winning today after taking a 7-0 lead. Browne had his moments, hitting 30-of-50 passes for 302 yards with a TD. He was hurt by his wideouts, with multiple drops today.

8 – Looking for any good news on D? Hey, it forced its first punt since the Southern Illinois game back on Sept. 6, stopping a string of 24 consecutive possessions without a foe punting.

“For us to get where we want to go, we have a long ways to go,” said Odom. “We understand that. I know the path to get there, and it goes through hard, and we’ve got to find a way to make strides where they’re needed.”

9 – Purdue showed life in the third quarter when it cut the Illinois lead to 30-21. But the Illini answered quickly with 10 points to take a 40-21 lead as the quarter ended. The Boilermakers never threatened thereafter. Hey, one good thing: There was no weather delay today after Purdue experienced one each of the previous two games.

“Explosive plays on defense,” said Odom. “I mean, that’s as frustrating as I’ve been in coaching, because two of them were on miscommunication, and then, you know, I just didn’t think we were very competitive, honestly. So, that’s hard to say out loud. But, you know, they came back and tried to show some fight there.”

10 – That’s three losses in a row for Purdue. And the next game is at Minnesota, which is always a tough, well-coached team. Will the bleeding stop there? Purdue hasn’t beaten a Power Four opponent since taking down Indiana to end the 2023 season in Ross-Ade Stadium–12 losses in a row.

“At the end of the day, results driven,” said Odom. “We got to go find a way to play winning ball. So, we’ll correct what we will and what we can, and then it will be a sprint to try to get ready for Minnesota.”