Purdue's Defense Answers the Call After Sluggish Start in Win Over Southern Illinois

Charles Correa and Smiley Bradford had too much pride to allow Southern Illinois to keep moving the football. After Purdue's defense surrendered touchdowns to the Salukis on their first two possessions of the game, both guys made big plays that altered the trajectory of the game in a 34-17 win for the Boilermakers.

Southern Illinois ran its offense to perfection on its first two drives, thanks to the play of quarterback DJ Williams. It started the game with a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive and followed it up with another 75-yard scoring drive, but only needed three plays to reach the end zone.

In the blink of an eye, the Salukis had pounced out to a 14-7 lead.

Purdue tied it at 14-14 after quarterback Ryan Browne connected on a 29-yard touchdown pass to Nitro Tuggle, and it was up to the Boilermakers' defense to get a stop. That's when Correa made the first big play of the game.

With Southern Illinois facing a 3rd-and-1 on the final play of the first quarter, Correa broke through the line of scrimmage and wrapped Williams up for a six-yard loss. It forced the Salukis into their first punt of the night.

Spencer Porath gave Purdue its first lead at 17-14 after drilling a 25-yard field goal, and it was again up to the defense to get a stop. This time, it was Smiley Bradford stepping up.

With the ball at Purdue 44, SIU kept its offense on the field, hoping to convert a 4th-and-2. But Bradford delivered a big hit on Williams to end the drive. Purdue's offense would capitalize, as Devin Mockobee would score a touchdown late in the quarter to give the Boilers a 24-14 lead at halftime.

"I just wanted to get us off the field," Bradford said. "I felt like we started kind of slow, and that fourth down stop really changed the game."

Bradford isn't the only one who described Purdue's start as "slow" on the defensive end. Coach Barry Odom wasn't particularly pleased with what he saw from that unit early in the game, either.

"After the first two series, I thought we calmed down and played smart football," Odom said. "We were a little bit slow to start for whatever reason."

On its first two offensive possessions, Southern Illinois had racked up 150 yards. By the end of the first half, that total was at 217 yards.

The second half? Purdue's defense held the Salukis to just 66 yards of offense, 32 of which came on their final possession of the game, when the outcome had already been decided.

Once the defense got into a rhythm, it dominated Southern Illinois in every aspect. Why did Purdue's defense start so slow?

Odom said it came down to some fundamental errors early.

"I wish I had some great answer," he said. "We had a really good plan going in, but we didn't do a very good job communicating it and executing it early on. We stayed the course and stayed the plan."

Always celebrate the wins

Someone who only checked the final score of Saturday's game might look at Purdue's 34-17 win over Southern Illinois and scoff. They may have concerns about a Big Ten team locked in a battle with an FCS opponent.

That's not how Odom views Saturday night's victory, though. Yes, he understands Purdue must continue to improve, especially with Big Ten foe USC lurking around the corner. But he's not about to minimize the importance of a win for his program.

"Winning is really hard, and you have to find a way," Odom said. "I'm never ever going to apologize for winning."

With Saturday night's win, Purdue is off to its first 2-0 start since 2021. Odom became the first coach in 109 years to start his tenure in West Lafayette by winning his first two games — joining Cleo O'Donnell (1916).

Odom's players feel the same way about getting a win this season, regardless of how it looks.

"It's a great feeling, obviously," said running back Devin Mockobee. "It's always better to win games than lose them. It's a good feeling."