O'Connell rallies Boilermakers late to get past Illini 13-9

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- , Purdue needed backup quarterback Aidan O’Connell to deliver in a pinch Saturday. He may have saved their bowl hopes. After relieving Jack Plummer in the third quarter and throwing interceptions on his first two series, the fifth-year senior capped a 94-yard scoring march drive with a 14-yard scoring toss to T.J. Sheffield for the game's only touchdown and a 13-9 victory over Illinois. “We just felt like because we became one-dimensional, we think Aidan is our most accurate thrower and that's not a knock on Jack," Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said. “He stands in there. he’s poised, he played to the end and he helped us find a way to win.” It sure wasn't easy under the circumstances.