At least they still have the juice.

Especially as a rivalry trophy hangs in the balance, running back Reggie Love said his Boilermakers are holding onto their intensity, even after a Saturday thrashing at Wisconsin.

“Not a lot of 1-4 teams come out excited to practice,” the fifth-year back said Tuesday. But Purdue does.

Love, a transfer in his first year with the Boilers, has the extra motivation of seeing his former teammates when Purdue (1-4, 0-2 Big Ten) takes on No. 23 Illinois (4-1, 1-1) in Memorial Stadium this weekend.

“I talk to them often,” Love said of the Illini. “I talk to one for sure, not going to say his name, but he won’t hear from me this week.”

The old cannon that has kept the score of Purdue and Illinois’ football series since 1943 remains in West Lafayette for now, a reminder of the better times of last season, when the Boilermakers’ first-year head coach notched a signature win against the program where he became a star.

How quickly things change.

Illinois has rebounded from a rudderless 2023 campaign to become one of the Big Ten’s six ranked squads, while Purdue’s season is at a standstill. Former offensive coordinator Graham Harrell was replaced by analyst Jason Simmons two weeks ago, but Purdue notched only 6 points against Wisconsin’s 52 as a streak of 10+ point losses has spanned four weeks.

Positive emotions are one thing the Boilers can hang onto right now, waiting for things to click or the season to end, whichever comes first.

Simmons is helping them do that as he settles into his new role, Love said.

“I think the biggest thing is juice,” Love answered for the No. 1 thing Simmons gave the team Saturday. “Simmons has really high energy, and we all feed off of it.”

Simmons coaches from the sideline, rather than from Harrell’s former place in the press box. This lets him animate his players, Love said, and also makes him accessible.

“If me, (running back Devin Mockobee), (quarterback Hudson Card), anybody on the offense sees things, it's easy to access coach Simmons,” Love said. “Like, ‘Hey, we’ve seen this look, how do we adjust to it?’”

Nothing much changed from the offense Saturday – Purdue was held off the board completely in every quarter but the second. The passing game, helmed by a Hudson Card who “hasn’t looked like himself,” according to head coach Ryan Walters, was again stymied.Junior cornerback Botros Alisadro, who recorded three tackles and a pass breakup against the Badgers, said he manages to stay positive.

He uses a junior college background to motivate him – “You gotta keep working, do it for your family,” his position coach tells him – and he talks to his family and God, he said, to keep his head up.

As for what he’s working toward, it’s simple, but elusive so far.

“Go out there and cover,” Alisandro said. “There ain’t really much to it.”