College Football

Illinois Football: 4 Things I Noticed In the Loss To Purdue

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:07 p.m. ET

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Oct 8, 2016; Champaign, IL, USA; Purdue Boilermakers safety Navon Mosley (27) tackles Illinois Fighting Illini running back Kendrick Foster (22) during the 2nd quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports

The Illinois football team battled with the Purdue Boilermakers and came out with a loss.

This game was a huge hit for the Illini. Not only do they drop to 1-4 on the season, but they are probably going to lose a lot of confidence in their fan base.

Illinois was 1-3 entering this game and needed to win to keep a bowl opportunity still in reach and to keep momentum for a new coaching regime that has fans believing again.

This game looked ugly from start to finish, though.

Purdue took a 7-3 lead over the Illini in the first quarter. The score for the Boilermakers was a 9-yard touchdown run by quarterback David Blough.

Illinois cut the lead to 7-6 and scoring continued to go back and forth through the second quarter. Heading into half-time Purdue had the lead 21-16.

The Illini came out in the second half and scored first with a 3-yard touchdown run by quarterback Chayce Crouch. Purdue tagged on a field goal and took the lead 24-23 heading into the fourth quarter.

To start the fourth quarter, Illinois once again scored first and took a 31-24 lead with a 3-yard touchdown run by running back Kendrick Foster.

Purdue then tied it up with just less than ten minutes left in the game with an 8-yard touchdown run by Worship.

Illinois then had a chance to win the game, but hit the upright on a last second field goal. The game went to overtime with a score of 31-31.

With a fumble on the first possession for the Illinois offense, Purdue took advantage and kicked a game-winning field goal to beat the Illini 34-31.

This was a depressing game and here are four things I noticed in the loss against Purdue.

Oct 8, 2016; Champaign, IL, USA; Purdue Boilermakers running back Brian Lankford-Johnson (37) is pursued by Illinois Fighting Illini linebacker Tre Watson (33) during the 2nd quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports

Rush Defense

Heading into the game against Purdue, the Illini weren’t exactly the best rush defense in the nation. In fact, they were below average.

Illinois ranked No. 76 in the country in rushing yards allowed per game coming into Saturday. They averaged giving up 169.3 yards per game on the ground.

I know this team doesn’t have the capabilities to stop the run, but this was a Purdue football team who was coming off a loss to Maryland by 43 points. This was a chance for the defense to step up.

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But, that didn’t happen against the Boilermakers. I actually felt this was the worst defensive performance for the Illini this season.

Just in the first half alone, Purdue couldn’t be stopped on the ground. The Boilermakers ran for over 100 yards in the first half and in the second half nothing changed.

Illinois kept getting gouged for big gain after big gain and this killed any defensive momentum the Illini were building.

In addition to how bad the Illini were with the rush defense, the fact that Purdue was missing their top running back is icing on the nasty tasting cake.

Running back Markell Jones missed the game and didn’t even make the trip to Champaign. So, Purdue shredded this Illinois defense on the ground with backups.

If this is happening against Purdue, then I can’t even imagine what will happen against some of the good running backs in the Big Ten.

Nov 14, 2015; Champaign, IL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Chayce Crouch (7) walks onto the field before the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Chayce Crouch QB of the Future

Just about halfway through the second quarter, quarterback Wes Lunt went down with an injury that put him out for the rest of the game.

No one ever wants to see a player get hurt because they put so much time and effort into this game. Lunt is a great person and has talent.

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But, this injury gave quarterback Chayce Crouch a chance to get meaningful playing time. That is something he really hasn’t seen before.

Since Crouch entered the game I have been impressed with his play on the field. He has really done a great job leading this offense.

The first drive that Crouch manned he ended up running for a 26-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 14-13 for the Illini.

This run really put some energy into the offense, but most people knew Crouch had great running ability. That is why he was such a threat.

But, one area that most ‘experts’ have said was Crouch’s weak point was his arm. What I saw in this Purdue game was not weak by any means.

Crouch didn’t throw the ball a ton, but when he did I was impressed. He threw on the run multiple times and one was even across his body for a completion.

The deep threat finally came back in the offense as well. This was a nice change of pace and it helped put Illinois down deep into Purdue territory.

When Crouch came in the Illinois offense seemed to have a spark and that helped Illinois put points on the board.

I think Crouch did enough in this game to start a legit quarterback controversy and it leaves no doubt in my mind that he is the quarterback of the future for the Illinois football team.

Oct 8, 2016; Champaign, IL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini running back Reggie Corbin (2) carries the ball against the Purdue Boilermakers during the 2nd quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports

4-Headed Monster

If Chayce Crouch remains the Illinois starting quarterback heading into the future, then I think this team has a 4-headed monster on the ground.

Through three quarters in the game against Purdue, Crouch had 12 carries for 96 yards and 2 touchdowns. His legendary legs proved to live up to the hype.

I am excited for the future of the Illinois football team with Crouch behind center. He brings a running element from the quarterback we haven’t seen in a few years.

At the real running back position, the backfield is turning into a committee.

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This isn’t a, terrible idea considering how talented the Illini are three deep.

Through three quarters both Reggie Corbin and Kendrick Foster had 9 carries a piece.

Corbin had 83 yards on those 9 carries. He really helped energize this Illinois offense as well. He didn’t just do it on the ground, though.

I was impressed with Corbin’s dangerous speed during screen passes. He has so much talent and the kicker is that he is only a freshman. The future is extremely bright.

Foster had 36 yards on his 9 carries. He is more of the bruiser with speed. I think he is a perfect Yin to Corbin’s Yang.

The third running back is Ke’Shawn Vaughn. He was supposed to be the featured back this season but the emergence of the other two running backs has dropped him to third string.

But, Vaughn still has a role on this team. He had 2 carries for 31 yards through three quarters and I think he can still be important to this offense.

Illinois can attack you with multiple running options and that is exciting. This offense has a chance to be really good and it all starts with this 4-headed monster.

Oct 8, 2016; Champaign, IL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Lovie Smith observes his team in action against the Purdue Boilermakers during the 2nd quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports

Penalties Need To Stop

Throughout the game, the Illinois football team continued to make dumb mistake after dumb mistake when it came to penalties.

Every time something went right for the Illini, it always seemed like there was a penalty waiting at the other end to ruin the play.