Five Defining Moments in Purdue's 43-27 Loss to No. 22 Illinois
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Mistakes proved to be costly for Purdue on Saturday afternoon at Ross-Ade Stadium. The Boilermakers came up short, dropping a 43-27 contest to No. 22 Illinois, falling to 2-3 on the season and 0-2 in Big Ten play.
Purdue had plenty of chances to pull off the upset, but ill-timed turnovers, penalties, and a poor performance from the secondary allowed Illinois to secure its second-straight win over the Boilermakers.
Here are the five defining moments from Purdue's loss to Illinois.
Fumble with a 7-3 lead (2nd quarter)
Purdue had a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter and was moving the ball on the Illini defense on its third drive of the game. Ryan Browne had thrown back-to-back completions to Malachi Thomas for a total of 29 yards to get the Boilermakers down to the Illinois 46-yard line.
On 2nd-and-11, Browne connected with Michael Jackson III for a nine-yard gain, but he fumbled the football. Initially, he was ruled down, but officials overturned the call after a review. On the next play, Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer connected with Hank Beatty for a 62-yard touchdown pass to give the Illini a 10-7 advantage.
Offsides penalty on 4th down (2nd quarter)
The Boilermaker defense forced Illinois into a 4th-and-4 from the Purdue 39-yard line. With a stop, the Boilers would have gotten the ball in good field position. Instead, defensive back Tahj Ra-El sprinted into the backfield, and the Illini were able to draw the offside penalty.
Two plays later, Altmyer connected with Beatty for a 28-yard pass, and the Illini were able to score on a Kaden Feagin six-yard run to take a 17-7 advantage.
Two-play, 80-yard touchdown drive (2nd quarter)
Illinois really flexed its muscle late in the second quarter. The defense forced Purdue into a three-and-out. After a good punt by Jack McCallister, the Illini hit on two explosive plays, resulting in another trip to the end zone.
The first was a 55-yard pass from Altmyer to Beatty (surprise), and the second was a 25-yard touchdown run by Ca'Lil Valentine. He was able to race into the end zone untouched and give Illinois a 24-7 lead with less than 2:30 to play in the first half.
Fumbled punt return (3rd quarter)
Just when Purdue had worked its way back into the contest, Jackson had his second ill-timed fumble of the afternoon. The Boilermakers trailed 30-21 and forced Illinois into a three-and-out with 7:12 to play in the third quarter. With a touchdown, Purdue would have been within striking distance.
Jackson attempted to field the punt but fumbled it when swarmed by the Illini. Kenenna Odeluga recovered the football, and Illinois tacked on a field goal to increase its lead to 33-21. Yes, Purdue's defense did its job to limit the Illini, but the backbreaker was not giving the offense a chance to slice into the lead even further.
49-yard catch by Hank Beatty (3rd quarter)
Following the botched punt return, Illinois forced Purdue into a three-and-out, gaining just two yards on the possession. The Illini offense went for the throat, scoring on a five-play, 68-yard drive to take a 40-21 advantage with 1:19 to play.
The drive was highlighted by a 49-yard reception by Beatty, getting Illinois down to the 1-yard line. Feagin delivered the death blow to the Boilers with a one-yard touchdown run on the following play.
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BROWNE TURNS FUMBLE INTO TD: Ryan Browne bobbled a snap near the end zone, but the Purdue quarterback was able to grab the football and score an easy touchdown against Illinois. CLICK HERE
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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