Operating at a big deficit
Depleted Illini fall short against Boilermakers
Illinois started Saturday’s game with a deficit.
The Illini were without 14 players — two had contracted COVID-19 and several others were out because of contact tracing — for their home opener against Purdue.
A decimated roster, shuffling at positions and a slow start led to a 31-24 loss, dropping Illinois to 0-2.
The Boilermakers improved to 2-0 behind quarterback Aidan O’Connell’s 376 yards and two touchdown passes.
Here are three takeaways from the game in Champaign:
1. The Illini went deep into depth chart at quarterback.
Illinois starting quarterback Brandon Peters sat out after testing positive Thursday for COVID-19. Isaiah Williams, his backup, also missed the game while in quarantine because of contact-tracing protocols.
Third-string quarterback Matt Robinson started the game but exited early in the first quarter with a leg injury.
Bring in fourth-stringer Coran Taylor
“Stay ready to be ready,” Taylor, a sophomore, said.
Low on the depth chart, Taylor typically receives little action even in practices. Itwasn’t until Thursday after Peters’ positive test that Taylor started taking first- and second-team snaps.
After Illinois failed to score an offensive touchdown in a 45-7 seasonopening loss to Wisconsin on Oct. 23, Taylor showed he could provide a spark. He went 17-for-29 for 273 yards and two touchdowns while running for 32 yards.
His two fourth-quarter touchdown passes helped cut into Purdue’s 31-10 lead and gave Illinois a chance at a comeback.
He threw two interceptions and coughed up two fumbles, leading to 14 Boilermakers points.
“When you’re fourth on the depth chart, you don’t get a lot of plays during practice preparing for the opponent,” coach Lovie Smith said. “But Coran has paid attention. He knows our offense, and I thought he did a great job considering the tough situation we were forced to be in.”
Taylor seems like the likely starter for Saturday’s game against Minnesota.
“It’d be real big, a big achievement for me because that’s always been a dream for me to start in college, any college,” he said. “To start here is even bigger. My family is happy, and I’m proud ofmyself.”
2. Illinois also had to shuffle its offensive line because of COVID-19 absences.
Quarterbackwasn’t the only position that needed replacements.
Center Doug Kramer sat out because ofCOVID-19 contact-tracing protocols, which led Illinois to move Kendrick Green over from guard.
Jordyn Slaughter likely would have filled in but also was out because of COVID-19 quarantining. Alex Pihlstrom filled in at guard.
Pihlstrom started as a walk-on tight end in 2017. He didn’t play in 2018 and appeared in just one game in 2019.
“The offensive line overall did a great job, but especially Alex Pihlstrom,” Smith said. “Kendrick Green moved to center, and that’s tough, but for Alex to move into that position, where he has not played much at all, against that Purdue defensive line, just like Coran Taylor, our guys were put in tough situations. But I thought they stepped up and did a good job.”
Green said the team quickly focused on coming together despite absences.
“We knew itwas going to be hard but we did better than anyone expected,” Green said. “Coach always sayswe have to come out and come together, so we were able to do that.”
3. Rally comes up short on Illinois’ final drive.
If Illinois had scored on its final drive, Smith said he would have been aggressive and gone for the win with a two-point conversion.
But it never came to that.
After the Illini rallied from a 31-10 deficit with two fourth-quarter touchdowns — a 28-yard pass from Taylor to Daniel Imatorbhebhe and a 9-yard pass from Taylor to Brian Hightower — and had the ball in Purdue territory.
On first down at the Purdue 15-yardline, Illinois opted for four straight passing plays — and threw three straight incompletions. On fourth down, Taylor threw to Mike Epstein at the Purdue 8 — well short of the first-down marker despite an open target in Luke Ford.
The Boilermakers took over and ran out the clock.
“We had the ball with a chance to win,” Smith said. “We were going to go for two at the end. We had a chance at the end of the game.”