The Illinois Fighting Illini take the field later this afternoon to take on the Purdue Boilermakers. The Fighting Illini are heavy favorites to down their Big Ten rival and win the Cannon Trophy for the first time in four tries and for the first time in Head Coach Bret Bielema’s tenure in Champaign. A victory would keep Illinois in the top 25 and right the ship after a disheartening loss to Penn State two weeks ago.
They will have to dominate this struggling Purdue Boilermakers team to correct some issues that came back to haunt the Fighting Illini in the PSU game and manifested in their previous four victories. CBS Sports, via Will Backus and Tom Fornelli, ranks them as the 10th worst program in college football. Illinois will face their former defensive coordinator, Ryan Walters. Here are some keys for the Illinois Fighting Illini in this one.
Win Line of Scrimmage Early
Purdue ranks in the triple digits in all of college football in play at the line of scrimmage. Those numbers might be exaggerated by a pair of losses to Notre Dame and Wisconsin by a combined score of 118-13. But this area has been a weakness for the Boilermakers all year. Illinois hasn’t seen great line play either, ranking in the bottom tier of the nation in terms of pressure rate and sack rate on the offensive line.
If Illinois wants to set itself on a better track for the rest of the season, winning up front has to be priority number one. The loss to Penn State demonstrated how far the Illinois line has to become an elite college football unit. Illinois could only run the ball at a yard per carry against Penn State and allowed the Nittany Lions offense to run for 239 yards, mainly by Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton. Purdue poses a dual-threat combo with Devin Mockobee and former Illini Reggie Love III.
The passing game wasn’t much better two weeks ago. The porous offensive line allowed Luke Altmyer to be sacked seven times, five in the second half. Purdue’s best athletes on defense are on the edge, and if Illinois finds themselves in obvious passing situations, better protection is a must. The more possessions the Boilermakers can end with their ends in the backfield, the closer the game remains and the bigger the chance that Purdue pulls off the upset.
Rekindle Chemistry on Offensive Perimeter
Luke Altmyer’s development in Champaign year after year has been staggering. The Ole Miss transfer touts an impressive 11:1 TD/INT ratio coming into play on Saturday. A pair of reasons for Altmyer’s growth have been his top two receiving threats on the perimeter. Zakhari Franklin and Pat Bryant. They have been outstanding playmakers for the Fighting Illini offense and are hoping for a better performance this week than against Penn State.
After connecting to Franklin several times on the offense’s opening two drives, Altmyer could not create any action with either of his weapons, and Penn State effectively took them out of the game. The Illinois passing game goes as Franklin and Bryant go, so if Illinois wants to be impactful through the air against Purdue, getting these two playmakers the ball is paramount. Purdue’s defensive backfield has been lackluster this season when pressed into service, making this a great opportunity for offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. and his unit to rekindle that chemistry.
Illinois Must Win Turnover Battle
The chances of Purdue staying alive in this game and keeping it close until the end drastically go up if they can keep their offense on the field and win the turnover battle. Hudson Card has the potential to deliver a win for the Boilermakers if they can have the ball last in a tight game. The Texas transfer has been abandoned by his teammates on offense so far, but if they can support him, Purdue can win the game with their offense.
Crucial to getting the game to that point will be dominating time of possession and forcing turnovers to shorten the amount of time Illinois’ offense is on the field and flip field position. Illinois has won the turnover battle in its wins and lost the battle in its loss to Penn State. The ball hawks in the defensive backfield have an advantage over this group of receiving threats for Purdue, and locking them down could help induce turnovers for the Illini.
Illinois is the only team in college football with three players having two or more interceptions with Xavier Scott, Miles Scott, and Torrie Cox Jr. Luke Altmyer has thrown just one interception on the year and it came late in the loss to Penn State, followed by a fumble. Illinois is a team that can win the turnover battle consistently. Returning to that formula would help them beat the Boilermakers and get Bret Bielema his first meeting with the Cannon Trophy.
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