Boilers Topple Illini, 24-17, to Bring Home Cannon Trophy

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Thanks to a gritty performance on both sides of the ball, the Purdue football team earned a hard-fought 24-17 win at rival Illinois Saturday afternoon in Gies Memorial Stadium. The Boilermakers (2-3, 1-1 B1G) brought home the Cannon Trophy, improving to 41-32-2 in the trophy series and securing their eighth win in the past 12 matchups against the Fighting Illini (2-3, 0-2 B1G). Purdue amassed 345 yards to match the exact output of Illinois’ offense, but critical plays late in the game made the difference. The Boilermakers converted all four trips to the red zone while holding…