Illinois Fighting Illini

Illinois Football: Opening Thoughts Against the Purdue Boilermakers

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Illinois football team started the 2016 season off a little slow, but thanks to some changes on the depth chart the Illini are looking to get back into the win column.

Illinois Fighting Illini fans want a victory against the Purdue Boilermakers when they come to town this Saturday.

A win would move the Illini to 2-3 on the season and closer to a bowl berth.  But, a loss could be devastating to the program.

The importance of getting a victory here cannot be overstated.  Illinois has lost three games this season to teams with a combined record of 14-1.

When you step back and really look at their losses, they really aren’t that bad.

But, if they fall to Purdue, which is a game they should win, then that could really hurt any momentum built up by the current regime.

Am I saying that if Illinois falls to the Boilermakers then they should scrap everything?  No, but it would feel like a step backward when the Illini should be moving forwarded and progressing.

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This is a game for Illinois to regain some of the momentum lost in the last three contests.  Purdue should be a victory and there are multiple reasons why.

The first reason this game should be a win is because Purdue is just a really bad team.

Purdue currently sits at 2-2 on the season but their two wins were to Eastern Kentucky and a bad Nevada team.

The two losses for the Boilermakers came to Cincinnati by 18 and Maryland by 43.  These are pretty bad games that Purdue was never even competitive in.

Illinois is currently a 10.5-point favorite over Purdue.  I can honestly say that I don’t remember the last time the Illini were double-digit favorites over a Big Ten opponent.

But, I think it is kind of clear why Illinois is such a large favorite.  Purdue just doesn’t have the talent on the football field to compete.

Their best player is by far Markell Jones and he is only averaging 4.6 yards per carry.  Their quarterback, David Blough, has thrown for 6 touchdowns and 7 interceptions but only has a completion rate of 56.1-percent.

The offense for Purdue is not good so the slight adjustments that Lovie Smith made to the defense should pay off.

Purdue’s defense is even worse than their offense as well.

Right now, the Boilermakers are giving up an average of 31.5 points per game. That should bode well for Illinois on Saturday with Reggie Corbin now the full-time starter.

Corbin should run all over this bad Purdue defense.  Don’t be surprised if he is in the high 100-yard rushing range with multiple big gains and touchdowns.

I think Illinois should win this game and I don’t mean just by a few points.  I am talking about a potential 20-plus point thrashing of this Purdue football team.

The Illini are on the uprising and with the changes Lovie has made, this team should be ready to start ripping into some teams.

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