INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Week 5 of college football season pulled no punches.

Central Indiana’s favorite teams dealt with conference opponents Saturday — whether in the Big Ten, MAC, or elsewhere — leaving limited room for error as the season drones on.

Let’s start with Purdue.

The Boilermakers were looking for their first win in Ross-Ade Stadium this season after starting the season 1-3. Purdue hosted Illinois in West Lafayette, which was a homecoming of sorts for Boilers head coach Ryan Walters. Before becoming the leader of Purdue in the offseason, Walters was the Fighting Illini’s defensive coordinator. He brought seven other Illinois staffers with him to Purdue.

The Boilers started slow, with just a 6-3 lead (thanks to a fumble recovery in the end zone by Malik Langham) at the end of the first quarter. The Boilers and Illini jostled back and forth, each scoring 10 more points before halftime. Purdue came alive in the second half, outscoring Illinois 28-6 to ultimately win 44-19.

Quarterback Hudson Card completed 18 of 26 pass attempts for 217 yards and two touchdowns, while Tyrone Tracy Jr. shined with 21 carries for 112 yards and a touchdown. The Boilers finished with 189 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

Purdue can shake off the poor start to the season and now begin to build momentum on the road at Iowa next Saturday.

Meanwhile, in College Park, Maryland, the Indiana-Maryland score was almost identical to the one in West Lafayette, except the Hoosiers were on the wrong side of the 44-17 final score. Terrapins quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa threw for 352 yards and five touchdowns, plus added a score with his legs. Meanwhile, Hoosiers starter Tayven Jackson was replaced by Brendan Sorsby in the third quarter after completing just 17 of 29 passes for 113 yards and an interception. Sorsby played three drives, scoring touchdowns in two of them.

Indiana now moves to a 2-3 record while Maryland stays at a perfect 5-0. The Hoosiers get a week off before traveling to No. 2 Michigan on Oct. 14.

The Ball State Cardinals had an equally tough time in their conference opener at Western Michigan. The Broncos beat Ball State 42-24 after scoring 21 unanswered points in the first half.

Butler improved to 4-1 with a fourth straight win Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs handled business against Presbyterian, winning 27-17.

Marian stayed perfect with a dominating win over Lawrence Tech of Michigan, 44-17.