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Game Recap
The Illinois Fighting Illini were the 24-6 winners over the Purdue Boilermakers when they previously met last October. Saturday? They had no such luck. Illinois took a 31-24 hit to the loss column. They were down 31-10 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.
Purdue can attribute much of their success to WR David Bell, who caught nine passes for one TD and 122 yards, and QB Aidan O'Connell, who passed for two TDs and 376 yards on 35 attempts. RB Zander Horvath and his 100 yards on the ground were another key factor in the Boilermakers' win.
Purdue's defense was a force to be reckoned with, as it collected two interceptions and three fumbles. The picks came courtesy of DE Derrick Barnes and CB Cam Allen.
WR Brian Hightower hadn't helped Illinois' cause all that much against the Wisconsin Badgers last week, but the same can't be said for this contest. Illinois' defeat came about despite a quality game from Hightower, who caught four passes for one TD and 97 yards.
This is the second loss in a row for Illinois and nudges their record down to 0-2. The victory makes it two in a row for the Boilermakers and bumps their record up to 2-0.
The Fighting Illini will be hunkering down at home again for their game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at 3:30 p.m. ET Nov. 7 at Memorial Stadium. With a combined 926 yards of offense in their previous games, we can expect a fast-paced matchup. Purdue is on the road again next week and plays against Wisconsin at 3:30 p.m. ET Nov. 7 at Camp Randall Stadium. The Badgers are also hoping to continue their momentum after a 45-7 victory over Illinois last Friday.
