Illinois Football: Bounce back opportunity for Illini against Purdue’s defense
By Collin Allen
The Illinois football offense struggled mightily against the Wisconsin Badgers’ defense in the season opener.
What should we expect from Purdue’s defense on Halloween day?
It is safe to say the Wisconsin defense gave Illinois quarterback Brandon Peters and the Fighting Illini offense a lot of trouble last Friday night as they failed to put up a single point.
The only points the Illini scored came from a Tarique Barnes scoop ‘n score. Additionally, head coach Lovie Smith’s offense turned the ball over twice — an Isaiah Williams interception and a Mike Epstein fumble.
Should we expect more from the Illini offense against a Purdue defense?
Let’s take a look at what they will be facing this weekend.
During their season opener vs. the Iowa Hawkeyes, the Purdue defense forced two fumbles — one coming in a crucial moment, which set the Boilermakers up for the game-winning touchdown.
Purdue did, however, allow Hawkeyes’ sophomore quarterback Spencer Petras to throw for nearly 300 yards but did not allow a passing touchdown. Additionally, they allowed the Hawkeyes to run for 195 yards on 36 attempts (5.6 YPC).
What should we expect to see from each level of this Purdue defense?
Front seven (Defensive Line and Linebackers)
The Purdue front seven, and arguably the entire defense, is led by sophomore defensive end George Karlaftis. The former four-star recruit made the AP All-American freshman team and was a second-team All-Big Ten defensive player in 2019. Additionally, he recorded the lone Boilermakers sack in their season opener.
The Boilermakers are not the best at stopping the run and that starts with the front seven. In 2019, Purdue finished No. 12 in the Big Ten in rushing yards allowed per game and rushing touchdowns allowed per game. They allowed 192.5 rushing yards and 2.1 rushing touchdowns per contest last season.
Expect the Illini’s rushing offense to look much better this weekend.
Secondary
The Boilermakers’ secondary is not much more of a threat than their front seven. They finished No. 12 in passing yards allowed per game (243.8 YPG) in 2019. Things don’t seem to be getting any better in that area this season as they allowed 265 passing yards in their season opener. They also finished No. 11 in passing touchdowns allowed per contest during the 2019 campaign with 1.7.
On the bright side, Purdue has their top two interception leaders returning this season — DB Cory Trice and DB Dedrick Mackey. Trice and Mackey each had three interceptions in 2019, one of Trice’s being a pick-six. The two combined for a total of 13 tackles vs. the Hawkeyes in the season opener.
I do expect Brandon Peters to perform much better than he did last week, as this Purdue secondary is not nearly as talented as Wisconsin’s secondary.
Next. 3 options after Illini miss on Bryce Hopkins. dark
Overall
The Purdue defense isn’t anything spectacular. The Fighting Illini offense has a great opportunity to bounce back and turn things around during this week two contest. I think Peters will have a big day, both with his legs and his arm. I also think Epstein rushes for at least 100 yards against this struggling run defense. Expect a much more exciting outing from the Illini this weekend.