Upon Further Review: Illinois

Each weekend, or at least most, following Purdue football games, GoldandBlack.com will take a detailed look back at the contest in hopes of illuminating some of its finer points and overlooked moments. Today, the Boilermakers’ 50-49 OT loss at No. 23 Illinois.

PDF: Purdue-Illinois statistics

THE BIGGEST PLAY OF THE GAME

The two-point conversion the game came down to.

So on two prior two-point plays that Purdue converted, Illinois had dropped into zone and got beat by quick hits to receivers sitting down just inside the goal line, one of them being a roll-out pass and the other a simple smash route to Max Klare.

One the game-deciding two-point play, a lot happens.

Purdue motions Devin Mockobee here, right to left, then flipping it. Linebacker Dylan Rosiek is going to pick up Mockobee up on the initial action, but whether this is a key for them or improv, once the motion man reverses course, the inside defender takes on the assignment of covering the running back, freeing Rosiek to blitz. Again, maybe that was the call all along, we don’t know, but maybe Ryan Walters did, because this easily could have hit Illinois right where it hurt had the ball come out sooner.

I don’t want to come off like I’m too certain about who this was going to because Max Klare was running a slant over the middle that the motion might have been intended to clear out with the exchange, and the QB does look middle first. Or this might have been Mockobee all the way, in which case a quick read and throw would have won the game.

It’s all set up, with Jahmal Edrine having the edge set for Mockobee.

Based on the flow of the play, I have to think this was designed for Mockobee, because all the receivers are turning inside while he bounces outside.

However, it appears — appears — that Rosiek bursts into Ryan Browne‘s field of vision and spooks the inexperienced QB while he’s looking over the middle and Browne never even gets to Mockobee nor does he flee in a direction where there are any plays to be made, only referees to run into.

Maybe inexperience showed up here.

PURDUE OFFENSIVE CHANGES

The humorous undercurrent of this game was both teams taking turns abusing the apparent soft underbelly of this defensive system. Purdue has been roasted all season containing the edge and biting on misdirection, and Purdue turned the tables by attacking the same areas. Browne’s aggressive running made this more possible. Whether these are option plays or straight bootleg stuff, dunno, but they worked.

The blocking structure here suggests this was a designed run.

This might have been option, as it seems like once 43 commits, Browne goes.

Same here, as the edge guy seems to be targeted.

Good stuff from Purdue there to play to Browne’s strengths and actually effectively turn Illinois’ defensive aggressiveness against it. Purdue has been awful trying to do that in its offensive game-planning. But this was good stuff and fairly well executed.

The running game working actually put Illinois on its heels and that’s when deceptives and misdirection work.

As much as I’m inclined to keep beating on Purdue’s absolute lack of imagination and creativity on offense under deposed coordinator Graham Harrell, creativity’s effectiveness generally depends on the effectiveness of your base stuff, and at Illinois, Purdue actually had effective base stuff.

Awesome throw here by Browne, and not an easy one at that.

This play is 100-percent the product of edge running success. Watch Illinois’ defense shifting like a school of fish from Mockobee to the threat of Browne keeping, allowing Tibbs to sneak behind everybody after his DB bit on the QB.

Also, a new motion.

Speaking of new motions, where has this sort of thing been all season? This is the kind of stuff that if you run it once or twice early on, now defenses have to consider the possibility and maybe they’re suddenly not in your backfield and laying on your quarterback as quickly.

This, too. This is kinda Tebow-ish. The quarterback part, not the tight end part.

THIRD-AND-LONG DEFENSE

No way around it. This game was decided by third-and-long, as three third-and-long conversions led to 17 Illinois points, including the game-tying field goal.

Truth be told, yeah, Purdue could have been better, but Luke Altmyer made some big-time plays and deserves credit. Purdue had to get to him faster and just didn’t.

This is just a great crunch-time play after Purdue did get real pressure

This, though, is that three-man rush that killed you at Wisconsin. There’s a little bit of organic push this time but not enough. This play was the disaster of the game.

This is just an elite throw into a tight window.