Illini take big step backward
39-point defeat saps homecoming energy
On Illinois
CHAMPAIGN — Illinois linebacker Del’Shawn Phillips said he was processing two emotions Saturday evening after a regressive loss to Purdue.
Embarrassment was one. Motivation was the other.
The humiliation came after letting down a homecoming crowd of 41,966 at Memorial Stadium with a 46-7 loss to Purdue. The urge to improve, to keep this from being another lackluster Illini season, already was eating at Phillips.
“When we get hit in the mouth we want to do something about that,” he said. “I’m not going to take that and roll with it. We’re going to take that and try to fix it.”
Illinois needs super glue, heavy-duty duct tape and a handyman’s tool box to fix some of the exacerbating problems the Boilermakers exposed.
The Illini (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten) hoped to build on the momentum of their first conference victory since 2016. Instead, their follow-up to a high-flying triumph over lowly Rutgers last weekend was a crash landing.
Illinois had been in control for much of a 25-19 Week 3 loss to South Florida and even had a third-quarter lead against Penn State in Week 4 before falling apart in a 63-24 loss. The last several years for Illinois have been so dreadful that Year 3 under coach Lovie Smith isn’t measured only in wins and losses but also with how competitive the Illini are.
This could have been a turn-the-corner moment for the Illini against seemingly average Purdue (3-3, 2-1). Instead they looked like they were driving against traffic on a one-way street.
“There was a lot at stake,” Phillips said. “We wanted to get our second Big Ten win. We wanted to protect our house. We wanted to win in front of our fans at homecoming. There were a lot of things we wanted to do as a team that we failed (to do). It feels like a couple of steps back.”
While Smith was terse in his answers to reporters after the loss, he was honest. He apologized to fans. He acknowledged he didn’t foresee this blowout.
“We haven’t played this bad in a game,” he said.
The Illini got on the board on their second possession to take a 7-0 lead. Then?
“Nothing went right,” Smith said. “Everything went their way.”
There are trends that need to be addressed, of course.
Purdue’s offense racked up 611 yards, becoming the third team out of six to gain at least 590 yards after South Florida (626) and Penn State (591). Quarterback David Blough faced almost no pressure, passing for 377 yards and three touchdowns while completing 25 of 36 throws.
Running back D.J. Knox (150 yards on 17 carries) alone rushed for more than twice that of the Illini on the (69 yards).
Smith acknowledged the defense needs improvement but defended his scheme — and his resume as a defensive guru along with defensive coordinator Hardy Nickerson.
“We would like to play better defense than what we have played right now,” he said. “History. And faith. You don’t just show up and start playing great because you have a resume. A lot more goes into it. We have played good enough defense to have three wins right now.”
Solid evidence of Illinois’ progress as a program would have been a victory against Purdue. Illini fans desperate for any sign of progress would have been able to stomach a competitive game.
This? This after Illinois had vowed it was turning the page?
“We have to put our head down and work, do more than we’ve done in the past, “running back Reggie Corbin said. “Just keep going.”