Illinois at Purdue

Here's a look at Purdue's fourth opponent in 2021, the Illinois Fighting Illini:

Time: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET

Location: Ross-Ade Stadium

Surface: Natural Grass

Capacity: 57,236

2021 records: Illinois (1-3); Purdue (2-1)

Series notes: Thanks to Purdue's 31-24 win in Memorial Stadium last season, the all-time series is tied: 45-45-6. Purdue has won seven of the last 10 meetings but has dropped three of the last four in Ross-Ade Stadium. Jeff Brohm is 3-1 versus Illinois, while the Illini' first-year coach Bret Bielema went 5-0 vs. the Boilermakers during his tenure at Wisconsin from 2006-12. No Boilermaker team scored more than 20 points vs. the Badgers during Bielema's time in Madison.

Since 1943, Purdue and Illinois have played for the Cannon Trophy. The Boilermakers have a 37-30-2 record in trophy contests.

TV: BTN

Early line: Purdue -11.5

Radio (Purdue): (Tim Newton, play-by-play; Pete Quinn analyst; Rob Blackman, studio host)

Pregame: Gold and Black Radio

Purdue roster | Purdue Schedule/Results | Purdue game notes

Illinois roster | Illinois schedule/results | Illinois game notes

Local weather

The Fighting Illini bring a multi-headed rushing attack to the field, as five different running backs have carried the ball at least 15 times through the first four games. Chase Brown was dinged up against Maryland last week, though it sounds like he can play on Saturday. Josh McCray, (who also was injured last week), Reggie Love III and Mike Epstein are all likely to see carries, as well, in Bret Bielema's run-heavy approach. The Illini average 3.9 yards per carry, and they get little production on the ground out of starting quarterback Brandon Peters, who has netted -46 yards rushing due to sack losses this season.

Purdue's run defense looked solid through the non-conference slate, as they allowed just 120 yards on the ground despite Kyren Williams' 51-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter last week. The revamped defense under co-coordinator Brad Lambert and company has allowed just 3.5 yards per carry and 107 rushing yards per game. Illinois will provide a different challenge with their run-heavy philosophy. Purdue will look to force the Illini in to third-and-medium or third-and-long situations and not let them get comfortable in the run game.

The quarterback situation didn't get off to an ideal start for Illinois when returning starter Brandon Peters suffered a shoulder injury in the first half of the season opener vs. Nebraska. Rutgers transfer Artur Sitkowski filled in as the backup for two-and-a-half games before Peters returned vs. Maryland, though he was largely inefficient, going 10-26 passing. Peters isn't afraid to take deep shots, however, and that's an area where Purdue struggled last week against Notre Dame. Converted quarterback Isaiah Williams and Deuce Spann are the top two deep options for Peters, and big tight end Daniel Barker is a red zone threat who has hauled in two touchdown grabs this season.

Purdue will again be without its top cornerback, Cory Trice, who injured his ankle during practice prior to the Notre Dame game. Kentucky transfer Jamari Brown filled in capably, particularly given the number of times he was targeted. The Boilermaker secondary did a nice job in non-conference play, but the challenges will continue in Big Ten action. Defensive backs coach Ron English would certainly like to see more turnovers created by the secondary, as the first unit has only intercepted one pass on the season. The secondary has now played a game without Trice and should be more comfortable, though No. 23's absence will be felt.

Purdue struggled to run the ball against a strong Notre Dame defense last weekend, managing just 57 yards on 25 attempts, though 31 of those yards came on one King Doerue run. Doerue and Dylan Downing will carry the load for the Boilermakers at running back for the foreseeable future with Zander Horvath out recovering from a broken fibula. Purdue especially needs to improve on the ground in short-yardage situations, as that was a major issue in South Bend last week. Brohm has expressed a willingness to use wide receivers in the backfield, though we haven't seen too much of that.

The Illini defense allows 160 yards a game on the ground, a number that Purdue can look at as an opportunity. The strength of Illinois' defense is considered to be the defensive line, which will provide a challenge for Purdue's blockers. Linebacker Jake Hansen has been a mainstay on the Illini defense for a few years now, and he will be a name for Purdue to watch out for. He has forced a pair of fumbles and has two-and-a-half sacks.

Quarterback Jack Plummer faced pressure all day on Saturday, though he still completed more than two-thirds of his passes and found the end zone with Milton Wright. On the season, Plummer has tossed seven touchdowns to zero interceptions. Despite a fourth quarter switch to Aidan O'Connell, Brohm re-iterated that Plummer will be the starter vs. Illinois. Plummer may be without his favorite target, however, as David Bell remains in concussion protocol after being carted off the field in the fourth quarter vs. Notre Dame. Mershawn Rice will miss an extended period of time, as well, with a foot injury. Milton Wright, Broc Thompson, TJ Sheffield and Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen stand to see more targets with the potential absence of Bell.

Illinois' secondary has really struggled to slow down teams' passing attacks, allowing over 320 yards per game. Through four games, the Illini have intercepted just one pass. Virginia was able to find the end zone five times through the air against this group, and Purdue will look to do the same on Saturday. Though losing Rice, and potentially Bell, will hamper Purdue, the Boilermakers hold the edge here.

The punting problems that plagued Purdue in 2020 reappeared under the Golden Dome last week, when starter Jack Ansell struggled early on and was replaced by Brendan Cropsey in the second quarter. While Cropsey booted one over 50 yards, there were consistency problems there, too. Elsewhere in special teams, TJ Sheffield caught a punt inside the five-yard line, causing Purdue to start a drive from the shadow of its own goal posts, and a Purdue kickoff sailed out of bounds. On the bright side, kicker Mitchell Fineran remains perfect on the season, making both of his field-goal attempts in the loss on Saturday.

Illinois brings a veteran kicker to the field in James McCourt, who drilled a game-winner vs. Wisconsin in 2019. He has made a 53-yard kick this season and is 4-for-6 overall. They feature one of the nation's premier punters in Blake Hayes, who already has seven punts of 50+ yards and has pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line 11 times on the season. Though the Illini haven't shown much of a kick return game, they get the edge here due to Hayes' ability.

Bret Bielema's debut went as perfectly as possible with an upset of Nebraska at home, but the Illini hasn't been able to find the win column ever since, dropping three straight. Last week's loss to Maryland was painful, as the Illini led by seven with just over four minutes left in the fourth quarter. Illinois is expected to return some significant contributors from injury on Saturday. The Illini come in as double-digit dogs with nothing to lose and a trophy on the line.

Though Brohm would have liked his team to have played better last week, they are right where they needed to be, entering conference play with a 2-1 mark. Games following a Notre Dame loss haven't always been kind to Purdue, but the Boilermakers can't afford to lose what lines up to be their easiest Big Ten game. They'll need to do so with some significant players missing, however. Can Purdue overcome adversity?

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