The Illini faced fourth-and-11 from their 15-yard line with 1:24 left when John Paddock came in cold with the drive of his life that knocked the Gophers out of their tie for first place in the diluted Big Ten West Division.
Illinois build a 14-7 lead in the first half at halftime, then added a 12-yard touchdown run in the third quarter by Kaden Feagin for a 21-7 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Caleb Griffin kicked a 43-yard field goal as time expired to give Illinois its first Big Ten victory of the season, a 27-24 upset of Maryland.
The Illini scored their only touchdown with 1:31 left in the first half when Pat Bryant caught a perfectly thrown 46-yard touchdown pass from Luke Altmyer.
Butkis was a star linebacker, fullback and kicker at Chicago Vocational High who went on to play at the University of Illinois.
Butkus was a Hall of Famer whose bone-rattling tackles made him one of the most intimidating players in NFL history.
Illinois has lost four straight in this rivalry and all three in coach Bret Bielema’s tenure. The Fighting Illini finished with nine penalties, one turnover that Purdue recovered for a touchdown and five sacks allowed.
It was a bounce-back game for Altmyer, who threw four interceptions in the 30-13 loss to Penn State last week and was benched in the fourth quarter.
Cam Miller, Abdul Carter, Daequan Dixon and Johnny Hardy had interceptions and No. 7 Penn State took advantage of five Illinois turnovers to beat the Illini 30-13.
Penn State coach James Franklin said his team knows what to expect, especially with the Illini promoting an “orange-out.”
The Illini’s Luke Altmyer threw for 202 yards and a touchdown while running for 70 and two more scores, but he also was picked off twice in the game.
Miles Scott returned an interception 48 yards for a score, and the Illini squeezed out the win in a back-and-forth game to start coach Bret Bielema’s third season.
On Saturday, September 2, Illinois will take on Toledo at Memorial Stadium at 6:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on BTN.
The Illini finished 8-5 in coach Bret Bielema’s second year after 10 straight losing seasons, placed second in the Big Ten West, played in a bowl game for the first time since 2019 and had four NFL draft picks.
University of Illinois INFLUENCE Program (NIL) Coordinator Kamron Cox anticipates athletes will opt to participate in the game and will get a few hundred dollars for doing so.