Purdue football: 3 takeaways from tight win over Illinois in Week 9

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Oct 31, 2020; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Purdue Boilermakers safety Jalen Graham (6) celebrates his touchdown with teammates against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the second half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /

3. A sloppy win is still a win

Despite the yards and points in this game, it was not the prettiest of games for either side. The Illini and Boilermakers were a combined 9-for-25 on third downs and combined for 18 penalties. Both teams combined for six turnovers as well.

There are several things the Boilermakers have to fix.

First, Aidan O’Connell was sacked four times. It was feast or famine for the Illinois defense. When they were able to get home, they stalled the Boilermakers offense; if they didn’t, Purdue moved the football.

Purdue needed every single one of Aidan O’Connell’s 371 passing yards since they struggled running the football. The Boilers ran for just 85 yards and 2.7 yards per carry, and that was with Horvath’s 102 yards. Some of that was sack yards, but that was also not having a compliment for Horvath.

Finally, it was the penalties. Purdue was penalized 11 times for 105 yards. That limited them in the second half. In the fourth quarter, penalties stalled drives that would have allowed Purdue to put the game away.

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