In his season-ending locker room speech to the Purdue football team last year at Bloomington's Memorial Stadium, athletic director Morgan Burke told the team's returning players 2014 would be the last time they wouldn't be playing in a bowl game.
That timetable will have to wait at least one more year.
Illinois ended the Boilermakers' bowl game hopes with a 48-14 victory Saturday, ensuring Purdue cannot get to the six wins necessary for postseason consideration, even if they win all their remaining games.
Despite a report this week citing unnamed sources saying he'll return for the 2016 season, the loss to the Illini also raises more questions about the future of embattled head coach Darrell Hazell, whose teams still haven't produced a winning streak of even two games in his three-season tenure.
Coming off a solid performance in a 55-45 win the week before over Nebraska, the Boiler offense suffered from a Homecoming hangover, putting up just 14 points against a defensive unit that had been allowing more than 22 points a game.
A week after being named Big Ten Conference offensive player of the week, quarterback David Blough struggled to throw the ball. Blough saw several passes batted down by Illini linemen, tossed a wobbly interception on a roll-out to the sideline that should have seen the ball thrown away and heaved the ball too hard on touch passes he seemed to make with ease against the Cornhuskers a week prior.
On its last drive of first half, Purdue went to the hurry-up, trying to get the ball out of Blough's hands as fast as possible on each play, and it seemed to help. Blough rushed for a first down on 3rd-and-7 on the Illinois 17 and then into the end zone from three yards out three plays later, making it 20-7 and getting the team back in the game.
But the shaky defense the team has exhibited all season (allowing the second-most points in the conference) repeatedly bit the Boilers. Illinois found the end zone in the two minutes Purdue left on the clock at the end of the first half and then ran over the home team in the second half -- even though the Illini's rushing offense had previously been the worst in the Big Ten.
Illinois running back Josh Ferguson, coming back from an injury, carried the ball 12 times for 133 yards and backup Ke'Shawn Vaughn added another 180 yards on 16 carries. On the day, the duo averaged more than 11 yards per carry -- well better than the 3.6 YPC the team had averaged coming into the day.
Purdue is now 2-7 on the year, while the Illini improve to 5-4 and need one more win for bowl eligibility. Purdue heads to Northwestern for a noon start next Saturday.