AP 4 - 10/26/2019 3:25:00 PM - BC-FBC--Illinois-Purdue
*6190 AP-FBC--Illinois-Purdue, 2nd Ld-Writethru,755
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Fighting Illini splash through rain for 24-6 win at Purdue
Dre Brown ran for a career high 131 yards and Tony Adams returned an interception for a touchdown to help Illinois slosh through the rain for a 24-6 victory at Purdue
AP Photo INDC104, INDC1, INDC107, INDC102, INDC109, INDC103, INDC105, INDC106, INDC111, INDC112, INDC113, INDC1, INDC111
Eds: Illinois 24, Purdue 6. New approach. With AP Photos.
By MICHAEL MAROT=
AP Sports Writer=
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) _ Dre Brown kept Illinois grounded Saturday. Cornerback Tony Adams scored all the points the Fighting Illini needed.
That combination helped Illinois mop up at Purdue.
On a soggy afternoon, Brown splashed his way to a career-high 131 yards rushing, Adams returned an interception 13 yards for a touchdown and Illinois pulled away for 24-6 victory to claim the Cannon Trophy for the first time since 2015.
``It's nice to leave the place a little better than we found it,'' Brown said. ``It's such a small cannon but it's cool to celebrate and take pictures with it.''
The steadily falling rain chased thousands of fans from their seats at halftime and turned the game into an ugly quagmire.
But there was no dampening this postgame celebration.
The Fighting Illini (4-4, 2-3 Big Ten) continued building momentum following last week's upset over then No. 6 Wisconsin. They've now matched the highest single-season win total in coach Lovie Smith's four-year tenure.
All that was missing _ completing the first shutout in Smith's tenure.
Purdue avoided its first scoreless game since November 2013 by capping a 99-yard fourth-quarter drive with an 11-yard TD pass from backup quarterback Aidan O'Connell to Payne Durham. Otherwise, it was all Illini.
``I thought we'd come ready to play. I'll take the blame for that,'' Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said after finishing with 271 total yards. ``But it was a bad performance. We got exposed in many areas and it's a bad day.''
And the Boilermakers never really had a chance.
Brown's 44-yard first-quarter run set up James McCourt for a 38-yard field goal and when Adams jumped the route early in the second quarter, the Illini lead 10-0.
Brohm responded by pulling starting quarterback Jack Plummer for two series and by the time he was back on the field, Brandon Peters had made it 17-0 on a 1-yard TD plunge late in the first half.
Plummer was yanked again after losing a fumble in the third quarter and the 29-yard return Stanley Green allowed the Illini to seal it with 20-yard scoring from Reggie Corbin.
Brown needed only 10 carries in the first half to record the first 100-yard game of his career and Peters threw only six times, completing three for 26 yards.
Plummer was 8 of 20 with 71 yards and the two turnovers.
``We didn't have to look at the past week to get ready for Purdue,'' Smith said. ``They embarrassed us on homecoming last year. Most of our guys were there. The Cannon has been here for a lot of years.''
Dre Brown kept Illinois grounded Saturday. Cornerback Tony Adams scored all the points the Fighting Illini needed.
That combination helped Illinois mop up at Purdue.
On a soggy afternoon, Brown splashed his way to a career-high 131 yards rushing, Adams returned an interception 13 yards for a touchdown and Illinois pulled away for 24-6 victory to claim the Cannon Trophy for the first time since 2015.
"It's nice to leave the place a little better than we found it," Brown said. "It's such a small cannon but it's cool to celebrate and take pictures with it."
The steadily falling rain chased thousands of fans from their seats at halftime and turned the game into an ugly quagmire.
But there was no dampening this postgame celebration.
The Fighting Illini (4-4, 2-3 Big Ten) continued building momentum following last week's upset over then No. 6 Wisconsin. They've now matched the highest single-season win total in coach Lovie Smith's four-year tenure.
All that was missing, completing the first shutout in Smith's tenure.
Purdue avoided its first scoreless game since November 2013 by capping a 99-yard fourth-quarter drive with an 11-yard TD pass from backup quarterback Aidan O'Connell to Payne Durham. Otherwise, it was all Illini.
"I thought we'd come ready to play. I'll take the blame for that," Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said after finishing with 271 total yards. "But it was a bad performance. We got exposed in many areas and it's a bad day."
And the Boilermakers never really had a chance.
Brown's 44-yard first-quarter run set up James McCourt for a 38-yard field goal and when Adams jumped the route early in the second quarter, the Illini lead 10-0.
Brohm responded by pulling starting quarterback Jack Plummer for two series and by the time he was back on the field, Brandon Peters had made it 17-0 on a 1-yard TD plunge late in the first half.
Plummer was yanked again after losing a fumble in the third quarter and the 29-yard return Stanley Green allowed the Illini to seal it with 20-yard scoring from Reggie Corbin.
Brown needed only 10 carries in the first half to record the first 100-yard game of his career and Peters threw only six times, completing three for 26 yards.
Plummer was 8 of 20 with 71 yards and the two turnovers.
"We didn't have to look at the past week to get ready for Purdue," Smith said. "They embarrassed us on homecoming last year. Most of our guys were there. The Cannon has been here for a lot of years."
