If ever there was a time this season for Jeff Brohm’s personality to show in Purdue’s offense, it was in Saturday’s game against Illinois. The Boilermakers could afford to take a few chances against and young and inexperienced Illini defense and satisfy the head coach’s urge to sling the ball across the field without any serious repercussions.

Instead, Purdue rushed the ball 44 times, had just 28 pass attempts and walked out of Ross-Ade Stadium with a 29-10 win. They recorded their fourth win and second B1G victory of the season, neither of which had happened since 2012. A 17-game losing streak in the month of November was snapped, too.

Brohm has swallowed his pride to yield those results. Saturday’s game against Illinois was just another example of that.

Purdue rushed for 209 yards on those 44 attempts, scoring two of its three touchdowns on the ground. Four players had at least five carries, led y D.J. Knox who had 85 yards on 14 touches. The Boilermakers wore down the Illini on the front line with a shove-it-down-your-throat mentality.

That’s not Jeff Brohm.

His teams at Western Kentucky ranked in the top five nationally in passing offense all three seasons he was at the helm. It was an offense that averaged 44 points per game every season, too. Brohm wants to throw the football, and he wants to do it often. That high-octane, pass-heavy style was what he was suppose to bring to West Lafayette.

Purdue doesn’t have the athletes to win playing that brand of football, at least not yet. The offensive line struggles in pass protection and receivers drop what are relatively routine passes. Blough and Elijah Sindelar make unforced errors far too frequently.

The Boilermakers can’t run Brohm’s preferred offensive scheme and win football games. Not in 2017.

Rather than force-feed his style to a group not tailored to play that brand, Brohm has adjusted his approach and play-calling to cater a team that can be more effective on the ground. It’s not resulted in weekly wins, but flexibility from the head coach is certainly benefiting Purdue.

Despite Brohm’s desire to throw the football, winning in the B1G can be done with a solid defense and an effective rushing attack. Purdue has won four games with that mindset.

In wins over Ohio, Missouri and Illinois, the Boilermakers have eclipsed the 200-yard mark. They surpassed that total against Rutgers — a game filled with mistakes — and hit 199 against Nebraska in a last-second loss. It hasn’t always paid off, but Purdue has been competitive in every game this season because of that approach.

Eventually, Brohm will start to implement a style that’s more fitting to his personality. That “basketball on grass” offense will be resurrected in West Lafayette. And, more than likely, the Boilermakers will have one of the best passing offenses in the B1G.

Brohm knows that system doesn’t give his team a chance to win this season. He’s swallowed his pride, set aside the pass-heavy playbook and has adjusted his game plan.

Purdue is benefiting from that change.