PHOTO GALLERY: Pictures From Purdue Football's 31-24 Road Win Against Illinois
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Purdue football defeated Illinois 31-24 on the road Saturday, improving to 6-4 on the year and 4-3 in conference play. The victory forced a tie atop the Big Ten West with just two weeks left in the regular season.
The Boilermakers outrushed the Fighting Illini, gaining 142 yards on the ground while holding star running back Chase Brown to just 98 yards rushing. Brown entered the game as the nation's leading rusher.
"Heck of a win by our football team, and very proud of them," Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said. "This was a really good opponent that we played, we knew that coming in. They've played some outstanding football all year long coming into their stadium.
"We've gone through some adversity, had two losses the last two weeks where we didn't look really good. Teams really got after us, but that's college football. I think our guys understand — we talk about it a lot — on any given week, anybody can win."
Sixth-year quarterback Aidan O'Connell completed 25 of his 40 passes for 237 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He completed throws to eight different receivers, including a pair of scoring connections with redshirt senior tight end Payne Durham.
Leading receiver Charlie Jones hauled in four receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown, surpassing 1,000 yards receiving on the season for Purdue. Redshirt senior TJ Sheffield was targeted a team-high 12 times, coming down with six catches for 72 yards.
Redshirt freshman Devin Mockobee led the Boilermakers on the ground, carrying the ball 28 times for 108 yards rushing and a score. The walk-on became just the third freshman running back in program history to rush for 700 yards in a single season.
Purdue will be back in action on Saturday, Nov. 19, for a home matchup with Northwestern at Ross-Ade Stadium. It will be the final home game of the season, and kickoff is scheduled for noon ET.
Cannon Trophy
Aidan O'Connell
Devin Mockobee
Payne Durham
Aidan O'Connell
Jalen Graham
TJ Sheffield
Devin Mockobee
Deion Burks
Jeff Brohm
Payne Durham
Aidan O'Connell and Devin Mockobee
OC Brothers
TJ Sheffield
Devin Mockobee
Related Stories on Purdue Football
- Game Time Announced for Purdue's Matchup With Northwestern: Purdue football will play against Northwestern on Saturday, Nov. 19, at Ross-Ade Stadium for its final home game of the season. The two teams are scheduled to kick off at noon ET, and the game will be broadcast on FS1. CLICK HERE
- Purdue Keeps Big Ten West Hopes Alive, Defeats Illinois 31-24: Purdue held Illinois star running back Chase Brown to 98 yards on the ground and mustered enough yards against a stingy defense to escape Memorial Stadium with a win. The Boilermakers are still in the race for the top of the Big Ten West with two games left. CLICK HERE
- Aidan O'Connell Makes Plays With His Legs Against Fighting Illini: In a 31-24 win over Illinois on Saturday, Purdue quarterback Aidan O'Connell ran for a career-high 33 yards on two carries. Both rushing attempts sparked touchdown drives for the Boilermakers. CLICK HERE
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.