CHAMPAIGN — Luke Altmyer threw a 25-yard touchdown pass in overtime to Pat Bryant, and Dylan Rosiek sacked Purdue’s Ryan Browne on a 2-point conversion attempt to give No. 23 Illinois a 50-49 victory Saturday.
Illinois (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) had lost four straight and seven of its last eight against Purdue (1-5, 0-3). The Illini hadn’t beaten the Boilermakers at Memorial Stadium since 2010.
Illinois’ David Alano made a 38-yard field goal as time expired to tie it at 43 after Purdue rallied to take the lead for the first time.
Ahrmad Branch, on his only carry of the day, scored on a 3-yard run in OT for the Boilermakers.
Purdue coach Ryan Walters said he went for the 2-point conversion in OT “because we were in control of the game at that point. We clawed back in the game, something we hadn’t done this season, and I wanted to give us a chance to win. I hate losing.”
Altmyer completed 20 of 34 passes for 379 yards and three touchdowns. Josh McCray ran for 78 yards and two TDs and caught a scoring pass. Bryant caught four passes for 104 yards.
“We did enough bad things to give them the game,” Illinois coach Bret Bielema said. “If you let a team stick around like that, that’s what happens. I still think we’re a good team knocking on the door of doing something cool.”
Browne, a redshirt freshman making his first career start with Hudson Card sidelined by a concussion, rushed for 118 yards on 17 carries and completed 18 of 26 passes for 297 yards and three TDs after throwing for just 9 yards in the first half.
Max Klare caught six passes for 133 yards for Purdue. Devin Mockobee ran for 102 yards on 11 carries.
Down 27-3 at halftime, Purdue launched a comeback.
“We executed. We didn’t panic,” Walters said.
The Boilermakers scored two TDs in eight seconds on 53-yard pass from Browne to Jahmal Edrine and a sack of Altmyer by Nyland Green that caused a fumble that Will Heldt returned 16 yards for TD.
After Browne threw a 62-yard strike to Klare on a double-reverse flea flicker, a 24-yard field goal by Spencer Porath made it 27-20. Altmyer ended Purdue’s surge with a 13-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter.
The Boilermakers responded with an 8-yard TD pass from Browne to Jaron Tibbs and a 2-point conversion pass from Browne to Klare, but McCray scored on a 3-yard run to make it 40-28.
Purdue cut the lead to 40-35 with 1:35 left on a 2-yard TD run by Mockobee.
After Ben Freehill recovered an onside kick, the Boilermakers scored again on a 13-yard pass from Brown to Mockobee and a 2-point conversion pass from Browne to Edrine with 46 seconds left to move in front for the first time at 43-40.
THE TAKEAWAY
Illinois: Now that the Illini have vanquished the Boilermakers, the biggest thorn in their side over the past several years, they can focus on back-to-back huge Big Ten games to end the month. They’ll host No. 24 Michigan next week in the culmination of a season-long celebration of Memorial Stadium’s 100th anniversary and travel to No. 3 Oregon the following week.
Purdue: The Boilermakers dropped their fifth straight after a season-opening win over Indiana State, and the Boilermakers have to go up against three of the country’s top four teams (Oregon, Oho State and Penn State) in the next four games.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Beating one of the country’s worst teams by just one point in overtime shouldn’t propel Illinois higher in the AP Top 25. But the Illini shouldn’t drop, either, because they did what they needed to do against a foe that was desperate for a win.
TOP RUSHER OUT
Illinois rushing leader Kaden Feagin missed the game because of a hyperextended left leg, suffered in practice during the week. Bielema said Feagan will be out “for a little bit.” Feagin had gained 306 yards on 67 carries and run for three touchdowns in Illinois’ first five games.