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Illinois Football: Illini game-by-game predictions for the 2018 season

By Rees Woodcock

IOWA CITY, IOWA- OCTOBER 07: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini during the second quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes on October 7, 2017 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
IOWA CITY, IOWA- OCTOBER 07: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini during the second quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes on October 7, 2017 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images) /
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WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – NOVEMBER 04: D.J. Knox #1 of the Purdue Boilermakers runs the ball as Bennett Williams #4 of the Illinois Fighting Illini tries to make the tackle at Ross-Ade Stadium on November 4, 2017 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – NOVEMBER 04: D.J. Knox #1 of the Purdue Boilermakers runs the ball as Bennett Williams #4 of the Illinois Fighting Illini tries to make the tackle at Ross-Ade Stadium on November 4, 2017 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Illinois vs. Purdue

One of the surprising teams in college football last season was the Purdue Boilermakers. This program did some good things in year one of the Jeff Brohm regime and should be decent this season too.

Positive

While Purdue did have a six-win season in 2017, they weren’t that good on paper. They only scored 25.2 points per game, which was No. 87 in the nation. They also struggled on the offensive and defensive sides of the field at times.

An area that Illinois could expose is the Purdue pass defense. They ranked No. 89 in the nation in 2017 in pass defense giving up 243.5 yards per game. The Illini defensive line could also pounce on the Purdue running attack as well. They only rushed for 151.5 yards per game on the ground last season, which ranked No. 78 in the nation.

Negative

Despite the less than great stats, Purdue still managed to find ways to win football games. That is the sign of a well-coached program. They did have some areas they were good at too.

The Purdue passing attack was the most dangerous aspect of their offense. They had two quarterbacks who could throw the ball around the field. The Boilermakers ended up averaging 251.5 yards per game through the air, which ranked No. 47 in the nation.

Purdue’s rush defense was extremely underrated as well. They only gave up an average of 133.2 yards per game on the ground, which ranked No. 27 in the nation. In the Big Ten, only giving up that many yards per game on the ground is impressive.

Keys to the Game

Both of the Purdue quarterbacks are returning this season. They essentially combined for over 3,200 yards, 27 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 2017. But, in the game last season, Illinois only gave up 226 yards and a touchdown through the air. Illinois’ defensive backs should have another good game.

Purdue is also bringing back DJ Knox, Richie Worship and Markell Jones. They were the top three running backs on the Boilermakers roster and they tore up the Illini in the win last season. The Illinois defensive line is going to need to be better. I think they can too. But, this will still be a tough matchup against Purdue. I think the Illini defensive backs can come through in this game.

Prediction

Illinois 24 – 21 Purdue

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