WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue Football fell 43-27 to No. 22 Illinois on Saturday afternoon in Ross-Ade Stadium.
The Boilermakers (2-3, 0-2 B1G) struck first with a 10-play, 62-yard drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown rush by quarterback Ryan Browne. However, the Fighting Illini (5-1, 2-1 B1G) responded with 24 unanswered points to pull ahead for good, retaining the Cannon Trophy.
The Purdue offense racked up 453 total yards thanks to another 300-yard game by Browne to go along with 151 yards on the ground.
Browne completed 30-of-50 passes for 302 yards and one touchdown in addition to his rushing touchdown on six carries for 22 yards.
Near the end of the first half, Browne found sophomore receiver Corey Smith wide open down the sideline for a 60-yard touchdown. A transfer from Tulsa, Smith hauled in his first touchdown as a Boilermaker and third of his young career.
Antonio Harris broke free midway through the third quarter with a career-long 41-yard run, scoring his first collegiate touchdown to bring the Boilers within nine. He led Purdue with 69 yards on four carries. Devin Mockobee also had an efficient day with 11 attempts for 58 yards and a touchdown, averaging 5.3 yards per carry. His 23rd career touchdown came on a one-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Michael Jackson III set a new personal best of his own, logging 14 receptions for 94 yards to lead the aerial attack. The fifth-year receiver and first-year Boilermaker has already surpassed his most productive season with USC in 2022; he has 302 receiving yards through the first five games of 2025.
Charles Correa and Mani Powell had their most impactful games yet, pacing the defense with 15 and 14 tackles respectively. Correa is the first Boilermaker since at least 1995 to record 10 or more tackles in four of the first five games and the 14th Big Ten player to do so in that span. He has 49 tackles through his first five Purdue games
With four double-digit tackle efforts so far this year, Correa is already tied for seventh-most in a season at Purdue since 1995.
Purdue totaled two sacks on the day, one from CJ Nunnally IV and another split by Demeco Kennedy and Ryan Turner.
UP NEXT
The Boilermakers head to the Twin Cities next Saturday for a night game at Minnesota. The 7:30 p.m. ET game at Huntington Bank Stadium will be televised on Big Ten Network.