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Jacobo Echeverria Lozano, Antonio Harris propel Purdue to 24-17 victory over Illinois
Purdue defeated Illinois 24-17 in a conference game; the victory ended a two-year losing streak for the traveling team
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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Freshman kicker Jacobo Echeverria Lozano booted three field goals and Antonio Harris scored a late touchdown on a 1-yard run as Purdue defeated Illinois 24-17 Saturday in a Big Ten Conference game.
Lozano was perfect from 30, 34 and 33 yards, making him 11 for 12 for the season, as the Boilermakers (2-3, 1-1) won in Champaign for the first time since 2022 and brought the Cannon Trophy home after losing to Illinois the past two seasons.
Purdue’s Ryan Browne was 18-for-27 passing for 255 yards and a TD. Assad Waseem caught three passes for 98 yards and Fame Ijebol rushed for 65 yards on 19 carries.
Katin Houser completed 21 of 37 for 225 yards and two TDs for Illinois (2-3, 0-2). Collin Dixon caught 10 passes for 116 yards and a score.
Ka’Lil Valentine, Illinois’ leading rusher, left the game in the first quarter with a right leg injury and did not return.
Down 13-0, Illinois scored on an 11-yard pass from Houser to Dixon with 21 seconds to go in the first half. It was Dixon’s eighth TD reception this season at Gies Memorial Stadium, extending his Illinois record.
The takeaway
Illinois: All eyes were on the Illinois defense after former defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck and head coach Bret Bielema mutually agreed last weekend following a 42-19 loss to No. 7 Ohio State that Hauck should resign. The unusual 3-5-5 defensive scheme that Hauck installed at Illinois was plagued by serious communication issues between players and coaches during the ex-Montana coach’s four-game tenure. The communication was better and so was the defense, but the offense was shut down most of the game.
Purdue: Purdue’s defense was the worst in the Big Ten coming into the game. It gave up 139 points in consecutive losses to Wake Forest, No. 23 UCLA and No. 3 Notre Dame. When Illinois’ Ethan Moczulski missed a 32-yard field goal in the second quarter, it was the first time this season the defense stopped an opponent from scoring inside the red zone. The second time was with 13 seconds left in the third quarter when Wisdom Sims knocked down a fourth-down pass from the Purdue 17.
Up next
Illinois: At Michigan State on Saturday.
Purdue: Hosts Minnesota on Saturday.
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