No. 21 Illinois drops its second-straight game — a 31-24 home loss to Purdue — opening up the Big Ten West race

CHAMPAIGN — Aidan O’Connell passed for 237 yards and three touchdowns, two to Payne Durham, and Purdue beat No. 21 Illinois 31-24 Saturday at Memorial Stadium to turn the Big Ten West race into a muddled mess.

The win gives the Boilermakers (6-4, 4-3) a crucial head-to-head tiebreaker over the Illini (7-3, 4-3), who have lost their last two games.

The Boilermakers finish the season with favorable matchups against Northwestern and Indiana.

Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota were still alive in the division, too, entering Saturday with 3-3 records. The Badgers and Hawkeyes were playing each other.

Purdue scored on three-straight drives to take a 28-21 lead on Durham’s 13-yard touchdown reception with 13 minutes, 13 seconds remaining, finishing a drive that was aided by three Illinois penalties.

The Boilermakers gave O’Connell excellent protection, holding a highly-rated Illinois defense to zero sacks.Purdue sacked Illinois QB Tommy DeVito twice, including a costly 17-yard sack that took the wind out of a second-half drive.

O’Connell completed 25 of 40 attempts and threw one interception. Devin Mockobee rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries.

DeVito struggled against pressure and threw his first interception since Sept. 10. He completed 18 of 32 passes for 201 yards and a score.

Purdue became the first team to hold Illinois star Chase Brown to fewer than 100 rushing yards this season. The nation’s leader in rushing yards also appeared to suffer a leg injury late in the game, when he had to be helped off the field.

Durham made his first touchdown grab to cap a 90-yard drive that put the Boilermakers up 21-14 midway through the third quarter, but Illinois answered as DeVito connected with Brian Hightower for a 6-yard score with 1:13 remaining in the quarter.

Purdue’s Kieren Douglas intercepted a tipped pass with 3:37 remaining, and the Boilermakers killed plenty of clock with a few runs and a critical 15-yard reception by TJ Sheffield on 4th-and-9 to escape with the victory.

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Mitchell Fineran secured the result with a chip shot 25-yard field goal before Illinois kicker Caleb Griffin added a late 38-yarder with 17 seconds left.

Brown nudged Illinois in front with a 2-yard run at the 8:07 mark of the first quarter, capping a 74-yard drive. He added an 8-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

Purdue: The Boilermakers entered Saturday on a two-game losing streak. Credit the effort in the trenches — the Boilermakers never gave up a sack and paved the way for Mockobee to clear 100 yards against one of the country’s top defenses.

Illinois: Back-to-back home losses have tempered the enthusiasm of a 7-1 start, and things don’t get any easier next week at No. 3 Michigan. Still, the Illini are a victory away from their first eight-win season since 2007 and have chance to get to the Big Ten title game for the first time. Illinois holds the tie-breaker over Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Purdue: Hosts struggling Northwestern next Saturday.

Illinois: A trip to No. 3 Michigan looms next Saturday.