Purdue Maintains Momentum with Strong Win Over Southern Illinois
Riding high off last week's dominant win over Ball State, the Purdue Boilermakers carried that momentum into Saturday’s matchup against the Southern Illinois Salukis. Early on, however, it looked like the Boilermakers might be in for a fight. The first quarter was a back-and-forth shootout, ending in a 14-14 tie that had Purdue fans on edge and wondering if an upset was brewing.
But once the second quarter began, Purdue took control and never looked back. The defense locked in, holding Southern Illinois to just a single field goal over the final three quarters. Meanwhile, the offense methodically pulled away, outscoring the Salukis 20-3 the rest of the way to secure a 34-17 victory.
Devin Mockobee led the charge on the ground for Purdue, turning in a workhorse performance with 32 carries for 126 yards and two touchdowns, plus two catches for 21 yards. Quarterback Ryan Browne turned in a solid all-around game as well, throwing for 170 yards and two touchdowns, while also adding 50 yards on the ground. Aside from one interception, Browne managed the game efficiently and kept the offense moving.
After rushing for just 93 yards as a team against Ball State, Purdue’s ground game came to life with 214 total rushing yards—an encouraging sign with tough matchups looming.
Southern Illinois started strong but quickly lost momentum. Quarterback DJ Williams threw for 202 yards and a touchdown, but most of that production came in the first quarter. The Salukis struggled mightily on the ground, managing only 81 rushing yards on 26 attempts and just two runs of 10+ yards. Williams was responsible for both of Southern Illinois’s scores, but the lack of a balanced attack proved costly.
Looking ahead, Purdue faces a grueling three-game stretch, starting with a clash against USC next Saturday, followed by a road trip to No. 8 Notre Dame, and a home showdown with No. 9 Illinois. The coming weeks will be a true test of the Boilermakers’ strength and depth.
As for Southern Illinois, they’ll aim to regroup on the road against winless UT Martin. While UT Martin is 0-2, college football is always full of surprises—and the Salukis will need a more complete effort if they hope to bounce back.
Geoffrey Huggins
DiSportsPhotoAgency
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