Pregame: First Look - Illinois | Matchup Preview | Opponent View ($) | Depth Charts ($)

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Coordinators Corner ($) - Offense | Defense

After one of the worst losses of the Darrell Hazell Era at Purdue — a 50-7 shelling by the Terrapins of Maryland last weekend — the Boilermakers need something positive to happen this weekend in Champaign, Ill.

It would have to come at the expense of an Illinois team sitting at 1-3 under new coach Lovie Smith, but 1-3 against a pretty solid group of teams that it's played thus far. The three teams who've beaten the Illini — North Carolina, Western Michigan and Nebraska — are a combined 14-1.

Here are our GoldandBlack.com staff predictions.

Few games have gone as poorly as the one last week at Maryland. The Boilermakers couldn't do anything on offense, thanks to a line that it should have known had very little ability to pass protect, and its defense was equally faulty, unable to slow down a Terrapin running game.

The results? Six sacks and 400 rushing yards allowed. Those are impossible to overcome. Not only that, but it leaves the feeling of hopelessness. How does Purdue fix this in one week, when it can't make major personnel issues because of a lack of depth?

Maybe it'll play better in one area — if the line, as its currently situated, stays healthy, then it should be able to block better, for instance — but another might start leaking. It's been that way not only for this season, but for the last several. And that creates a huge lack of confidence. I don't think Purdue can fix enough of its problems. Illinois 30, Purdue 23

The Maryland game changed things for me. Though Purdue wasn't very good against Cincinnati earlier in the year, there were at least flashes of hope over the first three games that this season may not be like the previous three.

And then an average Maryland team absolutely dominated Purdue, making the Boilermakers zero-dimensional on offense and showing how easy it is for offenses to (keep) running over, around and through a defense that consistently seems confounded.

It's too bad, really. I really like a lot of the guys on this team, think there are guys who legitimately work hard and are trying to win and there are some pretty talented players. But there just aren't enough of the latter and if two of those — Markell Jones and Ja'Whaun Bentley — aren't going to play Saturday, it's going to be difficult for Purdue to pull this game out. Because those absences would add to an already questionable situation on defense — Bentley's sub, whether it's Danny Ezechukwu or Jimmy Herman, isn't playing well enough to matter — and will make it really hard for Purdue to establish the run on offense — Jones' sub(s), whatever single player or even a committee approach, isn't/aren't ready for a game's load.

Darrell Hazell said last week things could get worse if Purdue doesn't improve. He's right. And it'll happen Saturday. Prediction: Illinois 28, Purdue 21

Purdue must find the will to make this one a competitive game for four quarters and that won’t be easy based on the physical and mental state of the Boilermakers these days.

Illinois looks a little like Maryland to me: A team with a stable of running backs, and a defense that will likely cause Purdue offensive line some issues. If the Boilermakers can get some points handed to them early in the game, I suppose anything is possible, but again the injury list at Purdue is too extensive, I am afraid, to keep this one close for 60 minutes. Illinois 31, Purdue 17

Typically, I'm a believer that things aren't as good as they often seem, nor as bad as they seem.

But that Maryland game, man ...

I don't like the matchup here for Purdue either, with a good Illinois defensive line hoping to tee off on a tattered Boilermaker offensive line and with the Illini having the potential to eviscerate their highly eviscerable (that's not a word but just go with it) visitors in the running game.

Oh, and injuries.

Purdue has lots of those.

But we can talk about matchups and details until we're blue in the face, but is Purdue to the point yet after three-plus seasons where nuance actually matters?

At least there's a Beef House trip. Illinois 35, Purdue 21

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