Illinois has resided in the AP Top 25 for the past few weeks, is coming off a bye week and surely is looking forward to playing on its home field for the first time in a month.
Purdue has lost in each of the last four weeks by a combined 140 points, fired offensive coordinator Graham Harrell after a 10-point showing vs. Nebraska at home on Sept. 28 and has lost commitments from some top high school recruits.
This all sounds promising for No. 23 Illinois (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten), which enters Saturday afternoon’s conference game vs. Purdue (1-4, 0-2) in Champaign, Ill., as a double-digit favorite. However, recognize that everyone on both sides understands Purdue has beaten Illinois each of the last four years to maintain possession of the Purdue Cannon that goes to the yearly victor.
“Never had it, never saw it, never touched it, never smelled it,” Illinois coach Bret Bielema said. “I’ve never been able to hold that Cannon, right? So until it’s in our hands, all we can do is talk about it and see pictures of it.”
Now, throw in the fact that Purdue head coach Ryan Walters served as Bielema’s defensive coordinator for two seasons before getting the top job for the Boilermakers in in December 2022 — and there will be no taking anybody lightly on Saturday.
“Obviously, (I have) a lot of respect for Ryan and his staff,” Bielema said. “I know a lot of those guys on a personal level. I think I know what this game is going to mean to them and to their players … and, hopefully, the best team wins on Saturday.”
“I expect them to come out guns blazing,” Walters said. “Last year didn’t go their way, so I’m sure that’s being replayed and reminded. I fully expect to get their best shot. They’ve had an extra week to prepare as well. Coach ‘B’ does a great job during bye weeks in presenting new wrinkles and new personnels, so I fully expect to see things we haven’t seen on tape yet.”
Purdue’s issues are all over the tape. Last week at Wisconsin, the Boilermakers surrendered 52 points and 589 yards. The Badgers outscored Purdue 31-0 in the second half.
“We are struggling to play from behind,” Walters said. “For some reason, it kind of snowballs when things don’t go our way. I’ve got to do a better job of giving them emotional answers of how to respond when we’re behind or when things aren’t going our way. Right now, when we get behind, we tend to hit the panic button, and there’s no need to.
“The main culprit Saturday was (our defensive backs’) eye discipline was awful,” Walters added. “We’re not getting the quarterback out of the pocket, either. He’s been able to sit back there and kind of wait. Then, when the ball’s in open space, there are angles to get the ball(carrier) down. And the technique with which we’re tackling was awful on Saturday. So that’s got to be addressed and has been addressed.”
For Illinois, Luke Altmyer has starred at quarterback this season, completing 70 percent of his passes for 1,047 yards, with 11 touchdowns against just one interception. His passing efficiency rating (164) ranks sixth in the Big Ten.
His counterpart, Hudson Card, is 71-for-112 (63.4 percent) for 738 yards, seven TDs and four picks.
