In the first quarter, the Illinois Fighting Illini opened the scoring with a 24-yard field goal by Caleb Griffin, capping an 11-play, 71-yard drive that took 5 minutes and 6 seconds. However, Purdue responded with a defensive touchdown as Malik Langham returned a fumble for no yards, and Julio Macias's PAT was blocked. This gave the Boilermakers a 6-3 lead at the end of the quarter.
The second quarter saw both teams finding the end zone. Illinois reclaimed the lead with a 7-yard touchdown run by Josh McCray, followed by a Caleb Griffin kick, after a 5-play, 80-yard drive lasting 1 minute and 54 seconds. Purdue answered with a 16-yard touchdown run by Dylan Downing, with Macias converting the extra point, following a 7-play, 73-yard drive lasting 2 minutes and 1 second. Purdue also added a 40-yard field goal by Julio Macias before the half, and Illinois managed a long-range 53-yard field goal by Griffin as time expired, making it 16-13 in favor of Purdue at halftime.
In the third quarter, Purdue extended their lead with three touchdowns, including a 28-yard pass from Hudson Card to Garrett Miller, a 3-yard run by Devin Mockobee, and a 10-yard pass to Deion Burks, all with successful Julio Macias kicks. The quarter ended with Purdue leading 37-13. In the fourth quarter, Illinois managed to add a touchdown with a 10-yard pass from Luke Altmyer to Pat Bryant, although their two-point conversion attempt failed. However, Purdue responded with a 1-yard touchdown run by Tyrone Tracy Jr., securing a 44-19 victory over Illinois.
