College Football

Illinois Football: Preview of the Purdue Boilermakers Offense

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 11:30 p.m. ET

foxsports

Oct 1, 2016; College Park, MD, USA; Purdue Boilermakers quarterback David Blough (11) throws during the second quarter against the Maryland Terrapins at Byrd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Illinois football team takes on the Purdue Boilermakers this weekend in hopes of moving to 2-3 on the season.

Purdue brings a solid offense to the game on Saturday. They have a talented quarterback with a decent running game and big wide receivers.

Winning this game is important for both teams. Illinois needs to focus on stopping Purdue’s offense so they can get back into the bowl discussion.

Here is what the Illini defense will be facing this weekend.

Quarterback

The quarterback position for most of this season so far has been manned by David Blough.

Blough is a sophomore who has started for the Boilermakers all two years he has been with the program. I actually don’t think he is a bad quarterback either.

In Blough’s freshman campaign he threw for 1,574 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. While he saw some success on the field their team didn’t once again.

This season Blough has taken a slight dip in numbers. He has only thrown for 1,078 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions.

The yards are there for Blough but his accuracy just isn’t quite up to par. But, could this have something to do with the talent around him, though?

A few things I love about Blough’s game are his arm strength and fundamentals in the pocket.

Blough can throw the ball around the field with tremendous fire. He can heave it down the field with little effort and that could be dangerous against a relatively inexperienced defensive backfield for Illinois.

The fundamental’s Blough displays in the pocket are nice as well. He is never flat-footed and his feet always keep moving around. This enables him to be more mobile and to step into throws.

If Blough had more talent around him I think he would be a bigger threat this Saturday. But, he doesn’t so I am not too worried.

Sep 24, 2016; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Purdue Boilermakers running back Markell Jones (8) runs through an ankle tackle in the second half against Nevada at Ross Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sandra Dukes-USA TODAY Sports

Running Back

Markell Jones has really dominated the running back position this season. He would need to come through for Purdue for them to have a chance this Saturday.

Jones, like Blough, is a sophomore and has been a big part of the Boilermakers offense the last two seasons.

This season Jones has carried the ball 73 times for 339 yards and 2 touchdowns. He is on pace to carry the ball more this season but is averaging fewer yards per carry this year.

Get the FanSided App

In 2015, Jones averaged 5.2 yards per carry en route to an 875 yard, 10 touchdown campaign. This season he has struggled a bit but that could have to do with a weak offensive line.

Jones is a bulkier running back standing at 5-foot-11 and weighing 210-pounds. He isn’t overly fast but he does have the patience to wait for a little daylight to score a touchdown.

Illinois doesn’t have to load the box like they did against Nebraska, but they need to be cognizant of Jones in the backfield.

I think Blough is more dangerous in this game but both him and Jones can have good games at times.

As long as Illinois continues Lovie’s patented gang tackling method then they should be able to keep Jones in check for most of the game.

Sep 19, 2015; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Purdue Boilermakers wide receiver Domonique Young (5) enters the end zone for a TD in the first half at Ross Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sandra Dukes-USA TODAY Sports

Wide Receivers

The Purdue Boilermakers have a good quarterback and that good quarterback can make some wide receivers look pretty good.

There isn’t a ton of depth for the Boilermakers on the outside but they do have a few good pass catchers.

More from Writing Illini

Domonique Young is a talented wide receiver who leads the team in receptions with 23 and yards with 279 on the season.

Young is your toss it up and let him go get the ball type of player. He stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs 215-pounds. I expect him to be used a lot against Illinois.

The other good wide receiver is DeAngelo Yancey.

Yancey is also a decent sized wide receiver. He stands at 6-foot-2 and weighs 205-pounds.

So far this season Yancey has recorded 19 receptions for 266 yards and 2 touchdowns. He is well on his way to passing last season’s totals.

Keep an eye out for these two wide receivers on Saturday. They both have enough size to do some damage on the outside and Illinois is a little weak at defensive back.

Hopefully, Illinois brings their A-game this weekend on defense. Patrick Nelson could be a nice switch for Lovie Smith in helping defend these Purdue receivers.

This article originally appeared on