Purdue and Illinois are locked in another battle for the Purdue Cannon Trophy. It’s already shaping up to be a good one, and the Boilermaker defense provided an early game-changing play.

After an early field goal by the Illini, Purdue pinned Illinois deep after a drive stalled out near midfield. That left Illinois starting a drive from the 10-yard line, a fact that paid off for Purdue.

On 2nd-and-8, Purdue sent a cornerback blitz from Luke Altmyer’s blindside. It was perfectly dialed up and brilliantly executed with Markevious Brown meeting Altmyer in the backfield and forcing the fumble.

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The ball quickly squirted away and into the end zone where Malik Langham fell on the ball for the game’s first touchdown. There is plenty of time to go but it’s an early impact play for a Purdue offense that has taken some lumps this season.

Check it out:

The game can be seen on Peacock.