Illinois Football: Illini will have tough test against the Purdue offense

Illinois football is coming off a tough loss against Wisconsin, but the road doesn’t get easier as they face the Purdue Boilermakers this weekend.

Here is what the Illini will be up against when they take on Purdue’s offense.

Quarterback

The starting quarterback for Purdue this weekend is likely to be Aiden O’Connell. The 6-foot-3 junior flung the ball around the field last week and pulled off what many considered an upset over Iowa.

282 yards and 3 touchdowns is an impressive day, but O’Connell also had a couple of interceptions. The Boilermakers are going to get scores from O’Connell on Saturday, but I am looking at ways Illinois can reverse the field and change momentum. Picking off O’Connell would be the best way to do that. This kid is mistake-prone.

In 2019 during what seemed like a monsoon, O’Connell actually found some success in a loss against Illinois. He was 8-of-14 for 67 yards and 1 touchdown. He didn’t turn the ball over. That needs to change this weekend, though.

When the pocket is calm, O’Connell seems to be at his best. The kid isn’t going to be scrambling for big yardage anytime soon either. The focus should be to get pressure on him in some form or fashion. Illinois is going to need to bring an extra man to disrupt the accurate passer.

Running Back

Purdue’s rushing attack doesn’t usually scare me, but this season could be different. Zander Horvath is the man toting the rock, and he had a sensational week one.

Horvath finished the Iowa victory with 21 carries for 129 yards. That is a 6.1 yards per carry average, which is pretty impressive. You have to look at last season too. When Horvath faced the Illini in 2019, he had 9 carries for 54 yards, which was 6 YPC.

There is a solid chance that Horvath is the truth and will come out running wild again on Saturday. Illinois is going to have to be disciplined. I am not too worried about the interior defensive line for the Illini. I am more worried about the Illinois linebackers eyeing the Purdue pass catchers. This will take their eyes off keeping contain and then Horvath will run free.

Illinois’ outside linebackers can’t drop inside. They have to keep contain. Defensive ends Isaiah Gay, Owen Carney, Keith Randolph and Company need to make sure they are also focusing on wrangling Horvath and not letting him get outside.

I think Purdue has a great passing attack, but we can’t let the running game go unnoticed. Horvath is going to be a pain on Saturday.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

I would make an argument that Purdue has the best wide receiver Illinois will face all season. No, I am not talking about Rondale Moore, who will be sitting the game out. I am talking about David Bell.

Bell finished his freshman season with 86 catches for 1035 yards and 7 touchdowns. That is an incredible freshman campaign. He started his sophomore season off with a bang too, pulling down 13 receptions for 121 yards and 3 touchdowns against Iowa.

Obviously, Bell is going to be a lot to handle for the Illinois defensive backs. This is going to be a job for senior Nate Hobbs. But Purdue has more firepower than just Bell.

Wide receiver Milton Wright finished with 7 receptions for 85 yards. And then tight end Payne Durham finished the Iowa game with 4 receptions for 41 yards.

The Boilermakers have a ton of weapons. Hobbs will be busy with Bell. Freshman Marquez Beason could be the main defensive back on Wright. Illinois linebackers need to keep an eye on Durham.

Purdue’s offense is going to be a pain for the Illini. They have a ton of weapons that will be tough to handle. I am curious to see if our secondary is ready.

Offensive Line

The starters on the offensive line last week for Purdue were LT Grant Hermanns, LG Cam Craig, C Sam Garvin, RG DJ Washington, RT Greg Long, according to their depth chart.

The interior is a little less experienced than the exterior on the offensive line. Purdue features a fifth-year left tackle in Hermanns and a graduate transfer in Long at right tackle. Having two experienced tackles to protect the quarterback is huge.

A matchup to watch might be a redshirt freshman left guard in Craig against one of the best defensive tackles in the nation in Roderick Perry. According to Pro Football Focus College, Perry ranked as the best defensive tackle in the Big Ten, No. 4 in all of the power-five conferences and No. 14 in the FBS last week. Illinois might be able to penetrate the offensive line and create chaos in the backfield via Perry.

Overall, Purdue’s offensive line is solid but they have their weaknesses. Illinois needs to and should be able to get pressure on O’Connell.