Illinois Fighting Illini wide receiver Hank Beatty (80) gestures after making a first down against the Purdue Boilermakers Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

The Ugly Numbers Behind Purdue's Explosive Play Problems

Originally posted on Purdue Boilermakers on SI
By Dustin Schutte | Last updated Oct 5, 2025 4:21 PM ET

Illinois' wide receivers probably thought about starting a Waffle House franchise in the middle of Ross-Ade Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Everyone wearing an orange helmet was open down the field all day long, resulting in a 390-yard performance from quarterback Luke Altmyer in the Illini's 43-27 win over Purdue.

Saturday was an awful outing from Purdue's secondary — a word coach Barry Odom used in his postgame press conference — but it's also been an issue all season long. The Boilermakers have been one of the worst teams in containing explosive plays this year.

Illinois connected on seven plays of 20 yards or longer against Purdue on Saturday. With that performance, the Boilermakers now rank last in the Big Ten in 20-plus-yard plays allowed this season.

Here's a look at just how ugly it has been for the Boilers:

Purdue has played three explosive offenses in its last three games in USC, Notre Dame, and Illinois. However, the secondary has been a non-factor in any of those games.

After Saturday's game, Odom said that he believed the defensive line and linebackers did some good things throughout the game, winning the line of scrimmage at times against Illinois. A lot of that success, though, was negated by those big plays.

"Any defense I've ever been a part of, if you give up explosive plays, you're not going to play good defense," Odom said. "I thought, at the line of scrimmage, we did some good things. We had some (tackles for loss), we played aggressive, but it doesn't matter if you get them in 3rd-and-7 and give up 50 (yards) on a bomb. It's never going to work."

Purdue's defense now worst in Big Ten

To say Purdue's defense has struggled over the last three games would be putting it politely. In losses to USC, Notre Dame, and Illinois, the Boilermakers have surrendered an average of 500.7 yards and 44 points per game.

It's hard to win football games with those numbers.

After Saturday's loss to Illinois, Purdue's defense now ranks last in the Big Ten, allowing 397.6 yards per game. That average also ranks 104th nationally.

Purdue is also failing to force turnovers this season. Through five games, the Boilermakers have just one takeaway, a sack-fumble in a 56-30 loss to Notre Dame in Week 4. Purdue is now minus-7 in the turnover margin, which also ranks last in the Big Ten and 131st in the country.

With a pivotal stretch upcoming against Minnesota, Northwestern, and Rutgers, Purdue must find some answers defensively, and quickly.

This article first appeared on Purdue Boilermakers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: