Illinois wide receiver Pat Bryant (13) Declan Duley (31) and Devin Hale (53) celebrate with the Purdue cannon after the team’s 50-49 overtime win over Purdue in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
AP

CHAMPAIGN — Luke Altmyer threw a 25-yard touchdown pass in overtime to Pat Bryant, and Dylan Rosiek sacked Purdue’s Ryan Browne on a 2-point conversion attempt to give No. 23 Illinois a 50-49 victory Saturday.

Illinois (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) had lost four straight and seven of its last eight against Purdue (1-5, 0-3). The Illini hadn’t beaten the Boilermakers at Memorial Stadium since 2010.

Illinois’ David Olano made a 38-yard field goal as time expired to tie it at 43 after Purdue rallied to take the lead for the first time.

Ahrmad Branch, on his only carry of the day, scored on a 3-yard run in OT for the Boilermakers.

Purdue coach Ryan Walters said he went for the 2-point conversion in OT “because we were in control of the game at that point. We clawed back in the game, something we hadn’t done this season, and I wanted to give us a chance to win. I hate losing.”

Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer celebrates his touchdown during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Purdue on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
AP

Altmyer completed 20 of 34 passes for 379 yards and 3 touchdowns. Josh McCray ran for 78 yards and 2 TDs and caught a scoring pass. Bryant caught 4 passes for 104 yards.

“We did enough bad things to give them the game,” Illinois coach Bret Bielema said. “If you let a team stick around like that, that’s what happens. I still think we’re a good team knocking on the door of doing something cool.”

Browne, a redshirt freshman making his first start with Hudson Card sidelined by a concussion, rushed for 118 yards on 17 carries and completed 18 of 26 passes for 297 yards and 3 TDs after throwing for just 9 yards in the first half.

Max Klare caught 6 passes for 133 yards for Purdue. Devin Mockobee ran for 102 yards on 11 carries.

Down 27-3 at halftime, Purdue launched a comeback.

“We executed. We didn’t panic,” Walters said.

The Boilermakers scored two TDs in eight seconds on 53-yard pass from Browne to Jahmal Edrine and a sack of Altmyer by Nyland Green that caused a fumble that Will Heldt returned 16 yards for TD.

After Browne threw a 62-yard strike to Klare on a double-reverse flea flicker, a 24-yard field goal by Spencer Porath made it 27-20. Altmyer ended Purdue’s surge with a 13-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter.

The Boilermakers responded with an 8-yard TD pass from Browne to Jaron Tibbs and a 2-point conversion pass from Browne to Klare, but McCray scored on a 3-yard run to make it 40-28.

Purdue cut the lead to 40-35 with 1:35 left on a 2-yard TD run by Mockobee.

After Ben Freehill recovered an onside kick, the Boilermakers scored again on a 13-yard pass from Brown to Mockobee and a 2-point conversion pass from Browne to Edrine with 46 seconds left to move in front for the first time at 43-40.

Now that the Illini have vanquished the Boilermakers, the biggest thorn in their side over the past several years, they can focus on back-to-back huge Big Ten games to end the month. They’ll host No. 24 Michigan next week in the culmination of a season-long celebration of Memorial Stadium’s 100th anniversary and travel to No. 3 Oregon the following week.

Illinois rushing leader Kaden Feagin missed the game because of a hyperextended left leg, suffered in practice during the week. Bielema said Feagan will be out “for a little bit.” Feagin had gained 306 yards on 67 carries and run for three touchdowns in Illinois’ first five games.

• Saturday’s game: Purdue (1-4) at No. 23 Illinois (4-1), 3:30 p.m., FS1

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Purdue football’s defense remains uncertain as to whether some key contributors will play Saturday at Illinois.

Safety Antonio Stevens and defensive tackle Mo Omonodo were listed as questionable on the Boilermakers’ Big Ten-mandated availability report released prior to the game. Both were also listed as questionable last week at Wisconsin, and neither played in the 52-6 loss.

Starting defensive tackle Damarjhe Lewis is listed as unavailable. So is linebacker Winston Berglund — who left that loss at Wisconsin early.

The availability report confirmed earlier reports that starting quarterback Hudson Card will not play today. Redshirt freshman Ryan Browne is expected to make his first career start in Card’s place.

The report also now classifies CJ Madden’s unspecified injury as keeping him out for the season. The rush end transfer from Georgia played in only three games.

Stevens has not played since a Sept. 21 game at Oregon State due to an unspecified injury. His 18 tackles still rank sixth on the team despite the two missed games. Third-year sophomore Joseph Jefferson has started in Stevens’ place.

Omonode did not play at Wisconsin last week after being listed as questionable. He has formed a nose tandem with Cole Brevard, totaling seven tackles over four games.

Lewis’ 14 tackles include three for loss this season, and he also blocked a field goal. Berglund has played more Mike linebacker in recent weeks as Kydran Jenkins returned more frequently to his previous spot at rush end. Berglund’s nine tackles (two for loss) include one sack.

Others listed as unavailable include receivers Jayden Dixon-Veal and CJ Smith, defensive back Salim Turner-Muhammad, backup offensive tackle Joshua Sales Jr. and tight end George Burhen.

Suzanne Akhras is a Democrat running for Illinois House District 82.

Bio

Party: Democrat

Office Sought: Illinois House District 82

City: Burr Ridge

Age: 52

Occupation: Nonprofit leader

Previous offices held: Never held public office before

How should the state respond to the influx of migrants bussed here from Southern states?

I have been involved in immigration reform since the early 2000s, and I have seen the failures at the national level in setting fair policies. In 2015, when the U.S. Refugee Program, agreed to allow Syrian refugees to resettle in the U.S., I took immediate action. I organized a group of diverse volunteers and the Syrian Community Network was formed to help refugees with a warm welcome, jobs, registering kids at school, after-school programming, legal immigration support and so much more.

During the Afghan refugee resettlement in 2021, I helped organize the Afghan Refugee Taskforce to bring community members together to address the influx of refugees and help secure jobs, housing, and schooling.

As the president of the board of the Illinois Community for Displaced Immigrants, we provide services for migrants coming to Chicago from Southern states. We must focus on helping migrants find housing and jobs which can lead to stability and safer communities. Federal immigration reform is key.

Are you satisfied with the state’s existing ethics policies for senators and representatives? If so, what about the policies should reassure Illinoisans that elected leaders abide by high standards? If not, what changes need to be made?

Illinois has ethics laws and regulations to ensure that elected officials conduct themselves properly. As a first-time candidate, I still have a lot to learn about this subject. I believe that elected officials should be transparent and accountable to their constituents, and I support legislation that makes it possible.

Elected officials work for their constituents, and we have seen in Illinois our fair share of corruption cases where elected officials have been involved.

Would you support a requirement that election petitions include a line asking candidates for their campaign email address?

I do not see a problem with such a requirement. I believe candidates and elected officials should be accessible to their voters and constituents. At the same time, we need to make sure that petitions are accessible to everyone who wants to run for office.

How well do you think criminal justice reforms made in recent years are working? What, if any, changes need to be made?

Criminal justice reforms are necessary to improve the fairness of the criminal justice system. I am in support of funding our law enforcement and first responders, so they can help keep communities safe.

I also believe that establishing relationships between our community members and our law enforcement can enhance trust and cooperation, thus leading to crime prevention. We all have to take a part in keeping our communities safe and empower our youth to make good choices.

Investments in education, accessible youth programs, and access to social services (especially mental health services, and substance abuse treatment) can also help prevent and reduce crime in our communities.

Criminal justice reforms work well when those implementing them are trained and understand how to perform their duties in a manner that respects everyone. We must address sentencing reform, policing reform, and rehabilitation for individuals leaving prison when talking about criminal justice reform.

We now have an assault weapons ban in Illinois. What if any changes should be made to the law? What more can be done to improve gun safety?

Gun violence is the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States. Every single day we see in the news horrible stories where kids bring guns to school, and toddlers who kill family members because guns in the house have not been stored away.

Responsible gun owners agree that weapons should be secured from being accessed by children, teens, and unauthorized people in their households.

Illinois passed an assault weapon ban, and we need one at federal level. In addition to a federal weapons ban, we need to pass legislation such as secure storage to protect families with children from gun-related injuries and deaths.

I received the Gun Sense candidate distinction from Moms Demand Action and I will work tirelessly to make sure we live in communities free of gun violence.

Illinois is the only state in the nation that mandates regular behind-the-wheel tests for senior drivers. Do you support any changes?

Research shows that Illinois has a reduced crash rate in older drivers compared with other states and behind-the-wheel testing requirements may be a factor. At the same time, this practice could be considered discriminatory against older adults.

I would need to have more data points in order to make a decision on whether I would support any legislative changes to the current mandate. We want our senior members of the community to be mobile and independent, we also want them to be safe.

I would trust the advice and date points from experts when making decisions on whether to change or not the behind-the-wheel tests for seniors in Illinois.

What personal qualifications do you bring that would make you an effective legislator?

I have a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and I completed Nonprofit Management and Executive Education course. I have received numerous awards and recognitions for my community impact and humanitarian efforts.

I believe in the power of volunteerism and public service. I have served on executive boards of various nonprofit organizations, addressing needs such as mental health services, youth programs and immigration reform.

In 2015, I founded the Syrian Community Network (SCN), a nonprofit organization that supports refugees and immigrants in navigating new systems and provides them with services to attain economic security. I am also the chair of the board of Directors of the Illinois Community for Displaced Immigrants and serve on the Council of Leaders of DuPage Federation on Human Services Reform.

Through my nonprofit work, I learned how to work with people who come from diverse backgrounds, how to find funding for programs, how to improve processes.