After an unfortunate loss to the Michigan State Spartans, Bret Bielema and the 7-2 Fighting Illini look to redeem themselves at home Vs the Purdue Boilermakers. The 5-3 Boilers’ are led by Head Coach Jeff Brohm, who enters his 6th season in Lafayette. Purdue is coming off a gut wrenching 24-3 Loss to Iowa, which was the 2nd straight for the Boilers.
This matchup will be the key determining factor in who will claim the Big Ten West title, and head to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship. Wild times in Champaign, Illinois.
The Boilermakers Offense is led by Senior Quarterback Aidan O’Connell, who is one of the more well rounded passing Quarterbacks in the Big Ten. O’Connell currently has 2,438 passing yards on the season and leads the Big Ten West in completed passes with 229 to date. One catch however for O’Connell, is his tendency to put the ball in harms way. Aidan leads the Big Ten in turnovers with 10 on the season, compared to the 15 touchdowns he accounts for to date. Putting the ball in harms way vs the Illinois defense has proven deadly for other teams, and will be a major problem for Purdue if this becomes an issue. However, the stats are living proof that O’Connell is the kind of guy that can show up in your house, and tear you to shreds if you let him.
A big Part of O’Connells success though the air has been on then reliable targets he has to spread ball too. Charlie Jones has been the favorite target for O’Connell thus far on the season. Jones leads the conference in both catches, and receiving yards with 83 receptions on the year and 944 yards total. He is a shifty route runner in this hight octane, air raid offense and is going to be a big test for Illini DB Devon Witherspoon who had been a lock down corner for Ryan Walters defense. Payne Durham is a big play making Tight End to watch this Saturday for the Boilers offense, and can be a great asset for Aidan O’Connell to try and spread the Illini defense thin. Durham has 66 catches and 670 receiving yards on the season, and will be a big matchup for Ryan Walters to key In on for the Illini to have success.
Overall the Boilers 5th in the Big Ten in total offense and should not be taken lightly, as someone who could come into Champaign and cause a lot of problem for the Illini. If the defensive unit is not on it’s A game, or missing players due to injuries, this could be a really tough game for Illinois to pull though. Its the biggest test to date for this Illini defense, and huge chance to get back on track to where they were previous to the Michigan State loss. I would say this game has weighed heavily on the minds of this team for quite some time, and that Ryan Walters will have a much better product on the field Saturday than what we saw vs MSU.
KEYS TO WINNING FOR THE ILLINI
Devon Witherspoon. Purdue is Going to have a heck of a time utilizing it offense it Charlie Jones is locked down in the passing game. Quarterback Aidan O’Connell really seems to struggle when teams have an answer for Jones, as would any when a teams best player is unavailable. If Witherspoon can win this matchup, I think Illinois wins this game.
Linebacker Play. Discipline Linebacker play is going to be very important for the Illini due to the high utilization of Payne Durham, and Running Back Devin Mockabee. If Illinois backers are sloppy with their assignments, confusion will be a major problem that will lead to big, gut wrenching plays for Purdue.
Kirkland’s Prediction
I trust that Ryan Walters in his defense will be readily prepared for this game, and will prove why they have remained one of the top defenses of the nation during the course of the season. Without weird weather conditions, it’s time to cut loose and let this team play the way they want to play. I think Illinois gets back on track this week, and we see big plays on the Defensive side of the ball. If Illinois can refine its red-zone offense to be more efficient, the Boilers will have a thought time.
Prediction- Illinois 27, Purdue 21
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