Ad Disclosure
Rapid reaction: Purdue wins battle of the FGs with late TD, 13-9
By Nick Schultz
Published:
Illinois and Purdue came to play on Saturday — on defense, at least.
The Fighting Illini and the Boilermakers traded stops and field goals throughout the game on Saturday. But a Purdue touchdown with 5:44 to play proved to be the difference-maker in a 13-9 Boilermakers’ victory.
It’s not like there weren’t opportunities. Purdue had a chance to score a touchdown in the third quarter, but backup quarterback Aidan O’Connell threw an interception in the end zone to give the Illini the ball back.
The story of the game has to be the defenses. Both teams’ Ds were following the old “bend-don’t-break” mentality, clamping down in the red zone where and when it mattered. Considering a touchdown wasn’t scored until the fourth quarter, the defenses certainly did their jobs.
Illinois’ defense was the only one to force a turnover, picking O’Connell off twice, including the one in the end zone. But just when Illinois looked to be gaining momentum after the second pick, coach Bret Bielema opted to punt from Purdue’s 34-yard line on 4th-and-2.
Purdue took over at its own 6-yard line, but marched down the field. O’Connell threw for 89 yards on the drive, including a 27-yard pass to the Illinois 17 to set up an eventual 14-yard touchdown pass — the first of the game for either team — with 5:44 to play.
That decision might have cost Bielema — and Illinois — the game. It was the turning point Purdue needed to swing the momentum, especially on its home field.
Look, this game wasn’t exactly a clash of the titans. Both teams were picked to finish at the bottom of the B1G West in the preseason poll — Purdue 6th and Illinois 7th out of the 7 teams in the division.
It had some good stats, though. Illinois running back Josh McCray had himself a game, running for 156 yards on 24 carries to lead the Illini on offense. Purdue, meanwhile, had a good day passing, with O’Connell and Jack Plummer combining for 277 yards.
It wasn’t the greatest game, offensively, but the late fireworks made it entertaining down the stretch. But one thing’s for sure. One-dimensional offenses won’t get a lot done in the B1G. We’ll see how both teams try to improve from here.
Nick Schultz is a columnist and breaking news writer for Saturday Tradition. A 2020 graduate of Loyola Chicago, he covered the Ramblers' 2018 Final Four run from beginning to end and has worked at NBC Sports Chicago. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickSchultz_7.