5 Boilers Whose Stock is Rising After Purdue's Win Over Illinois
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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Purdue exited Memorial Stadium in Champaign with the Cannon trophy and a 24-17 victory on Saturday. The Boilermakers ended a 19-game Big Ten losing streak with the victory and improved to 2-3 on the season.
It was a complete team effort on Saturday, with the defense getting stops, the offense making big plays and special teams pulling through in important moments. Who stood out from Saturday's victory?
Here are a few standouts from Purdue's win over the Fighting Illini.
Tra'Mar Harris, wide receiver
Harris only had three receptions in Saturday's win, but two of them came at critical times. He was responsible for Purdue's lone receiving touchdown, hauling in a 21-yard reception from quarterback Ryan Browne in the second quarter to give the Boilermakers a 13-0 advantage in the first half.
Another important play came immediately after Browne nearly threw an interception with Purdue leading 16-10. After that close call, Harris hauled in a 12-yard catch on 2nd-and-10 to keep the chains moving. Browne then completed a 31-yard pass to Chauncey Magwood and scored two plays later on a one-yard run by Antonio Harris.
Harris entered Saturday's game with just five receptions for 52 yards in Purdue's first four games. He had some big-time catches against the Fighting Illini.
Charles Correa, linebacker
The veteran linebacker has been the heart and soul of the defense through the early portion of the 2025 season. He had a stellar performance in Champaign, helping Purdue get a much-needed victory over the Fighting Illini.
Correa ended Saturday's game with six tackles, three solo stops and 1.5 tackles for loss. He also teammed up with Keyshawn Burgos in the fourth quarter for a critical third-down sack on Illinois quarterback Katin Houser.
Purdue's defense has struggled through the first half of the season, but Correa has been a bright spot. He played well in some critical moments this weekend.
Jacobo Echeverria Lozano, kicker
It seems like the freshman kicker could receive this honor on a weekly basis. Yes, of course, Purdue would love to score more touchdowns on those red zone opportunities, but having a kicker as sure-footed at Echeverria Lozano is certainly advantageous.
Echeverria Lozano was the difference for the Boilermakers on Saturday, making all three of his field goal attempts. The freshman connected on kicks from 30 yards, 34 yards and 33 yards on Saturday. He accounted for 10 of Purdue's 24 points.
Echeverria Lozano has made 11-of-12 field goal attempts this season and is a perfect 15-of-15 on PATs. He's been a real weapon for the Boilers.
Rico Schrieber, right tackle
Evaluating the play of a single offensive lineman can be difficult, but Schrieber deserves some recognition after Saturday. The freshman made his first start at Purdue, filling in for the absent Jude McCoskey on the right side of the line.
Schrieber was part of an offensive line Saturday that didn't surrender a single sack and only allowed Illinois' defense to get one pressure on Browne in 60 minutes of action. For a true freshman to hold up that well in his first start deserves a shoutout.
Throughout the offseason, Schrieber seemed to improve with each practice. It showed on Saturday.
Don Saunders, defensive back
You'll take the good with the bad. Saunders was responsible for a few tough penalties against Illinois, but it doesn't negate the positive performance he had in Purdue's victory.
The defensive back accounted for six tackles, five of those being solo stops. He also led the team with two tackles for loss, helping create chaos in the Illinois backfield.
Saunders has been consistent in the secondary this season. He had a few hiccups against the Fighting Illini, but made up for those mistakes with a few big plays.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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