Grading the Boilermakers: Purdue-Illinois

As? Bs? Cs? What grades did we hand out following Purdue’s 44-19 win vs. Illinois?

Rushing offense

This continues to be a big strength. A week after gaining 198 yards vs. Wisconsin, Purdue churned out 189 vs. Illinois on 45 totes. Tyrone Tracy has emerged as the No. 1 option, enjoying a career days vs. the Illini with 112 yards on 12 carries. He has a rushing TD in each game in 2023. Devin Mockobee had another fumble, but the staff is keeping him engaged. He had 67 yards on 14 carries with a TD. Mockobee is needed. Sneaky good Dylan Downing also scored a TD and chipped in 30 yards. Hat tip to an often maligned line, which did a nice job. One quibble: no runs of over 20 yards.

Grade: A-

Passing offense

Hudson Card has been steady. Vs. Illinois, he didn’t need to air it out, completing 18-of-26 passes (69 percent) for 217 yards with two TDs. Perhaps best of all: No turnovers and just two sacks. Purdue had six passes of 15 yards or more. Deion Burks was Deion Burks, making five grabs for 83 yards and a score. He is No. 3 in the Big Ten in receiving yards (377) and No. 2 in TD catches (4). Card spread it around to eight receivers.

Grade: B+

Offense overall

Yes, the defense contributed a TD, but the offense did its job … and then some. The Forty-four points were a season-high, as Purdue salted this away with a 21-0 scoring edge in the third quarter. Things were clicking for a balanced attack, and going 8-of-13 on third downs was huge. Perhaps having coordinator Graham Harrell call the game from the press box helped. Regardless, the Boilermakers need to keep the attack humming as they enter the teeth of the schedule.

Grade: A

Rushing defense

Illini’s struggles on the ground have been well-documented. And Purdue did a solid job to maintain that narrative, as Illinois had 149 yards on the ground. Yes, Illinois had a 39-yard quarterback run, but Purdue did a good job buttoning up an aspect of the game that has been troublesome.

Grade: B

Passing defense

Purdue did a good job getting after Illinois QB Luke Altmyer. The Ole Miss transfer was harassed early and often, as Purdue tallied five sacks and seven TFLs. Illini signal-callers connected on only 56 percent of their passes and there were just two passes over 27 yards. Career day for ILB Yanni Karlaftis, who had his first sack as a Boilermaker and notched eight stops. S Sanoussi Kane continues to shine, pacing the squad with nine tackles.

Grade: A

Defense overall

Walters made a change to staff dynamics, moving coordinator Kevin Kane to the box. On the field, Walters called the defensive signals, working in concert with Kane. It was the same arrangement they had when working at Illinois. And, it went as swimmingly Saturday as it did back at Illinois. Always good to get a defensive score. CB Markevious Brown blitzed, jarred the ball loose and lineman Joe Anderson smothered the pigskin in the end zone. A big key: Illinois was only 2-of-13 on third downs.

Grade: A

Special teams

Good to see K Julio Macias nail a career-long 40-yard field goal, but there was a missed PAT. P Jack Ansell remains steady, averaging 44 yards on three punts. Coverage teams were fine. The return game was largely a non-factor.

Grade: B+

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