CHAMPAIGN – For the first time since they met last November, Joe Tiller did Billy Dicken wrong Saturday.

Tiller, who gave Dicken the Purdue starting quarterback job, a creative playbook and a bunch of sticky-fingered receivers, finally put his foot down when the Bloomington bomber asked to join family and friends at a postgame tailgate party.

"I asked Coach Tiller if there was any way I could stay here with my parents," Dicken said. "He said one word.

"No."

Too bad. Missed a good one.

The Dicken clan had plenty to celebrate Saturday after their little Billy threw for two touchdowns and ran in another in the Boilermakers' 48-3 Memorial Stadium rump-kicking of Illinois.

The victory assured Big Ten co-leader Purdue of its first winning season since 1984 and fulfilled one of Dicken's football fantasies.

"I've looked forward to this game for about three years now, ever since we came down when I was a redshirt freshman," the senior said. "I didn't like that they weren't on our schedule for the last two years.

"This was a big game for me to come back and have a good showing. I think a lot of people here knew who I was, so you don't want to get embarrassed back here, close to your hometown."

The former News-Gazette All-Stater treated another Big Ten defense like he did Big 12 ones five years ago, hitting 15 of 24 passes for 215 yards with no interceptions.

That gives the Big Ten's top passer a Peyton Manninglike 859 yards and 10 touchdowns with two picks in his last three conference tries.

Keep it up, and Dicken will be known in college football households across the country.

"The bottom line is they're good throws, they're smart throws. He's doing a very good job with that part of the game," Tiller said.

He's becoming as big as Brian Cardinal in West Lafayette, Ind., his popularity peaking when Purdue stunned Notre Dame on national TV last month.

Ever since, it's been interview request after interview request, fan letter after fan letter.

A mob of kids got to him before he could make it to the locker room after Saturday's win, asking for autographs, wristbands, his chin strap, a high-five.

Dicken was happy to oblige.

"It's a lot more fun this way," he said. "The phone's been ringing off the hook back at Purdue, ever since we beat Notre Dame. The alumni's going crazy and everyone on campus is going crazy."

Dicken & Co. gave them a few more reasons to get excited Saturday, winning their sixth straight for the first time since 1980.

Six victories also means they're eligible for a bowl, where they haven't been in 13 years.

"The win today definitely gets the monkey off our back a little bit," Dicken said. "Now we know that no matter what happens, if tragedy strikes, we're still going to have a winning season."