CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Purdue ran off the final 46 points of a dominating blowout win at Illinois.
The 46-7 win on Illinois' Homecoming was the Boilermakers' largest margin of victory in a Big Ten game in nearly a decade, dating back to when Purdue defeated Indiana 62-10 in Joe Tiller's final game as head coach in 2008. It was its largest victory margin in a road conference game since the Boilermakers beat Indiana 52-7 in Bloomington on Nov. 22, 1997.
"To come into Illinois and go into Nebraska and win like we did, those are big wins for us and we're going to be proud of them," Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said. "When we do the little things and play harder than the other team, we can have a chance. Hopefully we can continue to do that, work hard, reach for the stars and see where we end up."
Purdue (3-3, 2-1 Big Ten) saw its big-play offense remain nearly unstoppable Saturday as it racked up nearly 600 yards of total offense and recorded nine pass plays of 15 yards or more. The Illini defense only forced Purdue to punt twice as quarterback David Blough finished with 377 yards through the air and a seven-yard touchdown reception on a trick play. Last season against the Illini, Blough was carted off the field with season-ending ankle and leg injuries, but the senior quarterback scored four total touchdowns to lead Purdue to back-to-back road wins in league play for the first time since 2012.
Purdue's 46 points were the most in the Jeff Brohm Era. Receivers Isaac Zico and Rondale Moore each surpassed the 100-yard mark while D.J. Knox earned 150 yards on just 17 carries.
Similar to what happened two weeks ago at Nebraska, Illinois took an early 7-0 lead as Illini quarterback AJ Bush gashed the Boilermaker defense for three big plays on the scoring drive. Purdue's defense steadied itself, though, and held Bush to just 24 yards on the ground and the Illini to 2.1 yards per rush.
In its two Big Ten home games this season Illinois has been outscored by Penn State and Purdue 109-31, leaving Illini coach Lovie Smith apologetic for his team's effort.
"I'm sorry that we played this way," Smith said. "It's a disappointing loss today. That is what I would say (to the Illinois fanbase). Look at the big picture, we are 3-3. What is there to say after a disappointing loss like today? We will have our days, that is what I would say.”
With a three-game winning streak, Purdue has rallied back to the .500 mark in time for a nationally televised showdown with No. 3 Ohio State next weekend as they host the Buckeyes for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on ABC.
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