PLAYERS TO WATCH
–RB Reggie Corbin had a career-high 137 rushing yards on only 11 carries (12.5 yards per rush), including a 73-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, the 25th-longest touchdown run in Illinois history, at Rutgers. Corbin started for the first time since 2016.
–QB AJ Bush Jr., who started last week for the first time since Sept. 8 vs. Western Illinois, ran for 116 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries (6.4 yards per rush). Bush is the first Illinois quarterback to have multiple 100-yard rushing games in a season since Nathan Scheelhaase in 2010. Bush was 10-of-18 passing for 89 yards and one touchdown, his first career Illinois passing touchdown and the second of his career (one for Virginia Tech in 2017).
–CB Jartavius Martin, a freshman, had his third interception in his first five career games in the win at Rutgers last week.
–LB Jake Hansen, a sophomore, led the Illini with nine tackles (six solo).
SERIES HISTORY: Illinois leads Purdue 44-43-6. The Boilermakers have dominated lately, however, winning 10 of the last 13 games dating to 2003. Illinois has lost five of the last six meetings with Purdue in Champaign, Ill.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “Well it had been 23 months or so since we had a Big Ten win. All of us had to go back to what you do when you celebrate a road win in the Big Ten. There is no feeling like a winning locker room. That’s what we had there.” — Illinois coach Lovie Smith regarding the Illini snapping a 13-game Big Ten losing streak with the 38-17 win at Rutgers last week.