My top 10 observations from Purdue's 31-24 win at Illinois, where the Boilermakers are 9-2 in their last 11 visits.

1. Aidan O’Connell continues to improve before our very eyes. In the first half, the junior hit 13-of-14 passes for 187 yards with a TD. And he kept rolling, finishing 29-of-35 for 371 yards with two TDs. Hard to believe O'Connell was the No. 4 quarterback in training camp in 2019. Look at him now.

“I think the coaches did a fantastic job this week in preparing us for what we were gonna see,” said O’Connell. “Their defense likes to get turnovers and they play extremely hard the whole game, so hat's off to them. I think it was just a great job by our coaches and the people around me, understanding what they're gonna do and trying to execute it. It was just a great team win.”

2. No Rondale Moore, no problem. Purdue was without No. 4 for a second game in a row. The Boilermakers’ depth at wideout continues to shine. David Bell and Milton Wright form a dynamic sophomore duo, combining for 14 catches for 201 and two TDs on this day.

3. Cause for concern when star defensive end George Karlaftis had to be helped off the field in the second quarter with what appeared to be an injury to his left leg. Earlier in the game, the sophomore notched his second sack of the season. The extent of Karlaftis’ injury isn’t known, as Jeff Brohm was unable to provide any update in the post-game. But this is true: The unit needs No. 5 and the pressure he brings. The good news: Karlaftis was on the sideline later in the game, appearing able to return to action. Could Karlaftis had re-entered the game?

"I haven't had time to check on that," said Brohm. "I'm really not for sure."

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4. While Purdue’s defense checked a lot of boxes in last week’s 24-20 opening win vs. Iowa, it endured its struggles today, allowing 472 yards. Illinois often marched up and down the field, as the Illini trimmed a 31-10 Purdue lead down to 31-24 in the fourth quarter. Illini players often were wide-open in the secondary. Credit Illini fourth-string quarterback Coran Taylor, a sophomore pressed into duty after Illinois’ first two signal-callers (Brandon Peters and Isaiah Williams) were knocked out by COVID. And Saturday starter Matt Robinson went out with an injury after the first series.

"Well, we needed some turnovers," said Brohm, whose squad got four. "They were able to move the ball up and down the field a little bit there for a while. Getting turnovers is crucial. So, it's great that we got them. When you win the turnover battle, you definitely are gonna have a better chance to win."

5. How about Gus Hartwig? The true freshman took over at center in the first series after junior starter Sam Garvin was hurt. And the line didn’t miss a beat. Purdue may have a special player in Hartwig. The unit already was down a starter with left guard Cam Craig out after getting hurt vs. Iowa and Spencer Holstege taking his place.

“It was tough to see,” said O’Connell about Garvin’s injury. “Sam's a kid who works extremely hard. He's my roommate, one of my best friends and a leader for our team and a guy who's going to play his tail off every play. … I think it helped a lot that last week, Gus got some snaps and he got his feet wet a little bit. And I think he did a good job. … “

6. Speaking of the Boilermaker o-line, it continued to play well … and play a lot of people. The starters were (left to right): T Grant Hermanns; G Spencer Holstege; C Sam Garvin; G Kyle Jornigan; T Greg Long. G DJ Washington and T Will Bramel rotated in on the right side every two series. Eric Miller also took snaps at left tackle. Good job by Boiler line coach Dale Williams.

“I’m really proud of our offense, proud the o-line,” said O’Connell.

7. After not playing in the opener, Purdue redshirt freshman safety Marvin Grant made his presence felt in the third quarter when he delivered a monster hit that forced a fumble by Illinois QB Coran Taylor. Fellow Detroit product Jalen Graham recovered in the end zone for a TD to put Purdue up 31-10. This is what the Boilermaker staff envisioned when it signed the Graham-Grant duo.

"It meant a lot," said Purdue linebacker Derrick Barnes of the big play. "... I think that we work on that when we take the grass at practice, that's what we do, we work on getting turnovers."

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8. David Bell was doing David Bell things … again. No, he wasn’t targeted 21 times like he was vs. Iowa when he finished with 13 catches for 121 yards and three TDs. Still, he made nine catches for 122 yards and a TD today. And no grab was more clutch than his 27-yard catch on 3rd-and-11 on Purdue’s last possession that clinched the game as the Boilermakers clung to a 31-24 lead. It was the play of the game, giving Purdue a first down and allowing it to kill the clock.

"I was gonna go down swinging," said Jeff Brohm. "We had tried to slip in a slant to the slot receiver the play before. They covered it well. They stopped us on a run. And then we got a look at what we thought they were gonna do. We called timeout. Really, we just decided to run five verticals. We just told Aiden, get one-on-one with David. That's where you want to throw it. If not, just read it out. He picked the one-on-one matchup, made a great throw and obviously David made a tremendous catch. He just always seems to do that when we need it."

9. Zander Horvath is quietly putting together a career. Yes, the junior running back lost two fumbles today, but he notched his third 100-yard rushing game in a row dating to last season, finishing the day with 22 carries for 102 yards and a TD. Horvath is the first Boilermaker back to string together three consecutive 100-yard games since Mike Alstott had eight in a row in 1995 as a senior. Last week, Horvath ran 21 times for 129 yards. He finished 2019 running 23 times for 164 yards and two TDs vs. Indiana.

“Zander just runs so hard,” said O’Connell. “… the offensive line just blocks so hard. I think they’re doing a great job communicating in that group."

10. The last 2-0 start by Purdue? You have to go back to 2007, when Joe Tiller was coach and the Boilermakers began the season 5-0. The last 2-0 Big Ten start was in 2010, when Purdue won at Northwestern and vs. Minnesota. This is a perch Purdue hasn't been on lately.

"Every year is gonna throw some different wrinkles at you," said Brohm. "You’ve just got to get as many guys ready to play as you can. … We try to take a one-game mantra here. It’s not gonna change. So, whether we start 0-4 or 4-0, we have to continue to find a way to win the next one. ... "

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