Coach Ron Turner has been refreshingly blunt in assessing Illini football failures.

And Saturday he was willing to acknowledge his own embarrassment over a shockingly inept homecoming performance by his winless (0-7) squad of athletes.

As with Iowa, Penn State and Wisconsin, the Boilermakers of Purdue called off the attacking dogs before reaching the fourth quarter. Consider that these four conquerors have accumulated 158 points against the UI, only 21 of them in the final quarter when, in the last three games, sub quarterbacks were allowed to test their generally-unused skills.

Saturday was rock bottom. Ahead 41-3 late in the third quarter, the Boilermakers reached the UI 9-yard line in what appeared to be a quest to look like they were trying to score without doing so. They succeeded, Illini Jeff Weisse breaking through for a fourth-down sack. So Illinois gave them the ball right back, and they reached the 2-yard line, again coming up short. The point is, the seven-turnover, 48-3 result could have been worse.

Not everybody was aware. There was no TV, and the second-lowest homecoming crowd (45,122) in more than a half-century – dating to World War II – lost more than half its members before these meaningless late-game events even took place.

For those who thought the Wisconsin game was rock bottom, this was lower. If Indiana wasn't in the same leaky boat, a winless season would be a foregone conclusion.

Purdue was totally dominant

Purdue's clever, misdirection offense was the only entertaining aspect of Saturday's show.

The bowl-bound Boilermakers sneaked receivers into unguarded spaces and ran up the gut when least expected.

When Ryan Tabloff caught the breeze for a stupendous 85-yard punt, the bobbled reception bounced right up in the face of Illini Steve Willis, and he bungled an easy fumble recovery. Purdue was fortunate the ball caromed out of bounds on the 1-yard line, and the visitors were promptly penalized back to the half-yard line. It was Illinois' only moment of hope, and it was turned immediately into a mirage as Billy Dicken marched the Boilermakers the length of the field to score.

It was already 14-0 in the second quarter when Purdue racked up 10 points in 1:39 – on a field goal and a fumble return – and then 10 more points in the last 1:06 of the half, a time when this Illini defense always seems particularly susceptible to the long pass.

In response, Illinois almost seemed to be in an exhibition mood. Resistance dissipated as UI coaches tested first this player and that.

Turner, who wanted to satisfy himself that Kirk Johnson isn't a future National Football Leaguer disguised in a scout team uniform, allowed Johnson to go the full four quarters. Johnson contributed to the downfall with an early interception (one of four) and a blind-side fumble that was returned for an unchallenged Purdue touchdown.

Problems deeper than QB

But Illinois problems go much deeper than quarterback. An afternoon with Purdue's brilliant Brian Alford made it clear that Illinois has no one on his pass-catching level. He caught a bullet in the end zone, an over-the-head bomb on the sideline and a slant that left Tony Francis defenseless. Altogether, he caught seven for 109 yards.

Plebe Robert Jackson received his first start at safety, the Illini using only two seniors (Trevor Starghill and David James) to any great extent defensively. They changed defensive linemen like ill-fitting shoes, opening with redshirt freshman Karleton Thomas at end and inserting raw freshman Jason Eberhart extensively at tackle.

There was a hopelessness that filtered into the homecoming atmosphere from the first time Robert Holcombe was stacked up. And from the first three pass calls that resulted in an incompletion, a sack and an interception.

"Kirk threw that pass 30 times in practice, and he completed it with regularity," a confused Turner said.

"But the ball sailed this time, and they intercepted. During that same period, we had two chances to pick off the ball, and we dropped it. We make those plays in practice, and then we get in the games and can't make them. It's a puzzlement to me. We don't play like we practice?"

Loren Tate writes for The News-Gazette.