Purdue QB Hudson Card receives brutal injury update

Purdue football will be looking to avoid a 1-5 start to the season when they face Illinois on Saturday and unfortunately, starting quarterback Hudson Card won’t play.

Via Brett McMurphy:

“Purdue QB Hudson Card will not play vs. Illinois w/upper body injury, sources told Action Network. Card had started 16 games past 2 seasons for Purdue. W/out Card, redshirt freshman Ryan Browne in line to make his 1st career start.”

This is a tough blow for a Boilermakers team that is now turning to freshman Ryan Browne. He has had limited playing time for Purdue. Brown has only attempted 11 passes this season. Not ideal for Purdue, who will have a difficult test against the Fighting Illini, who are currently ranked 23rd in the nation.

However, Purdue football has won four straight against Illinois and seven of the last eight meetings. That’s a promising sign they could possibly end their four-game losing skid.

Card has been the main man for the last couple of years for the Boilermakers. In 2024, he’s completed 63.4% of his passes for 738 yards and seven touchdowns against four interceptions. His offensive line hasn’t been great though, getting sacked 12 times. Overall, Purdue is scoring only 18.6 points per game and ranks 210th in the country in total yards.

Perhaps a change under center could make a difference but Browne doesn’t have much experience. Hudson Card is currently in concussion protocol and it’s unknown when he may return.

Browne made one appearance last season against Northwestern when Card was sidelined with a different injury. Browne is a solid athlete however and can also run the football. Perhaps his playmaking abilities will come in handy here.

Kick-off on Saturday is scheduled for 3:30 PM ET at Memorial Stadium in Champaign. Illinois just suffered their first loss of the season on September 28 against Penn State. They had a bye in Week 6.