Hammer and Rails - Purdue Football at Illinois 2022Purdue's Okayest Bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52787/Hammer_And_Rails_favicon..png2022-11-14T09:24:02-05:00http://www.hammerandrails.com/rss/stream/232111362022-11-14T09:24:02-05:002022-11-14T09:24:02-05:00Purdue vs. Illinois - In Tweets!
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<img alt="NCAA Football: Purdue at Illinois" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2AXUu-6S5rmYt2zfR_VJPwvNLiw=/63x0:3000x1958/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71625824/usa_today_19418813.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Winning is fun but tweets can still be bad. </p> <p id="IiOY8q">With three games left in the Big Ten season and the West still on the line Purdue had to travel to the best scoring defense in the conference. This was an Illinois team that had allowed only around 10 points per game but Purdue found a way to drop 31 points on them. Tweeting this week was quite a saga. People were mad at AOC, then happy with AOC, they were mad at Brohm, until they were happy with Brohm, and Illinois fans were MAD ONLINE at the refs, at me, at everyone with a Purdue logo in their handle. It was a weird situation. Let’s take a look at some of our favorite tweets from the day. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Can someone explain AOC's sliding technique? He just goes slow enough to sit down. Like a kid scared of going fast on a snowboard because he knows he's gonna fall down.</p>— Casey Bartley (@CBartleyRivals) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBartleyRivals/status/1591510623892148224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2022</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Note: Illinois is a good defensive squad but they have played some of the most brutal offenses in the college football, which helps those defensive stats.</p>— Druuuuuuuuuuuuskimane (@LegendofSM) <a href="https://twitter.com/LegendofSM/status/1591510894311350272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2022</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Watch Aidan O'Connell run loose for Purdue is like when you would play NCAA Football on XBox and a quarterback with 68 speed would lumber for an improbable first down on third and long</p>— The Daily Gopher (@TheDailyGopher) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheDailyGopher/status/1591510863604813829?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2022</a>
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<p id="Npe4fl">As noted above, Illinois fans were not happy. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">they are spending so much time replying to purdue accounts today complaining about the refs</p>— Jeremy Frank (@MLBRandomStats) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBRandomStats/status/1591514829361405952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2022</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">These Illinois fans are giving the Tennessee fans a run for their money as the biggest whiners.</p>— Squonk (@Squonk_Tear) <a href="https://twitter.com/Squonk_Tear/status/1591533554126970881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2022</a>
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<p id="p2h7YJ">Then, the penalties really started to get out of hand. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">There's a difference between swagger and stupidity. Just shut up and do your job. (players, not you!)</p>— Dustin Blythe Ⓥ (@Dustin_Blythe) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dustin_Blythe/status/1591518635914313732?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2022</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Did we learn nothing from the Syracuse game?</p>— EDM Smitty Werbenjägermanjensen (@burkah0lics) <a href="https://twitter.com/burkah0lics/status/1591518830589005825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2022</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">If I had a nickel for every time Purdue got called for 2 unsportsmanlike penalties and had the opposing team kick off from the Purdue 35 yard line, I'd have 10 cents. That's not a lot, but really weird (and frustrating) that it's happened twice this year. <a href="https://t.co/aelgQzMuj6">https://t.co/aelgQzMuj6</a></p>— Mitch Wright (@_MitchWright_) <a href="https://twitter.com/_MitchWright_/status/1591518945747652608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2022</a>
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<p id="JLPmv2">Purdue goes up 10 with 1:05 left and Purdue fans still could not exhale.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Are Purdue fans the only ones who are still nervous in this situation? </p>— KK (@kkdland) <a href="https://twitter.com/kkdland/status/1591535555703365633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2022</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Monumental win for the boilers on the road! We keep the Cannon, gain bowl eligibility, and are still in the race for the West with IU & Northwestern remaining. If you’re a purdue fan, you gotta feel good about that! LETS GOOO! You love to see it! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BOILERUP?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BOILERUP</a></p>— Charles Torwudzo Jr. (@ChuckT17) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChuckT17/status/1591537797164417026?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2022</a>
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https://www.hammerandrails.com/2022/11/14/23457803/purdue-vs-illinois-in-tweetsjumboheroes2022-11-14T08:56:45-05:002022-11-14T08:56:45-05:00The Odds to Win the West Remain Alive - Podcast Edition
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<img alt="NCAA Football: Purdue at Illinois" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_MaXevrOd-oc6LwoeX04shLQhqY=/0x0:3000x2000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71625651/usa_today_19418877.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Plus I help the listeners get to know Ryan. </p> <p id="sPLMZc">When Ryan and I last spoke we were both incredibly pessimistic about Purdue’s chances to beat Illinois. This was of course coming off two disappointing losses to Wisconsin and Iowa. Then, Purdue had to play the top rated scoring defense in the country at just over 10 points allowed per game. We were not optimistic. Well, I’ve just gotta say, we were way off. </p>
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<p id="I8jj9G">So Ryan and I take the time on this episode to discuss the Purdue basketball victory over Austin Peay, look ahead to Marquette, and talk about Purdue’s upset victory over Illinois. </p>
<p id="DGwnrI">Then, Ryan has put in the work to talk about the scenarios that end with Purdue playing in the Big Ten title game so we talk about the most likely. </p>
<p id="8j97Qi">At the top since Ryan is new to the show I wanted to give him some get to know you questions that I thought Casey really bungled. Wanted to give Ryan a chance to display some good opinions. He did not disappoint. </p>
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<div id="ZyAtB0"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 152px; position: relative;"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/0WzsIFGqdcZDMMJf1WErcC?utm_source=oembed" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" allow="clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture;"></iframe></div></div>
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https://www.hammerandrails.com/2022/11/14/23457730/the-odds-to-win-the-west-remain-alive-podcast-editionjumboheroesPURB972022-11-12T11:00:00-05:002022-11-12T11:00:00-05:00Purdue vs. Illinois - Game Thread & How to Watch
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<img alt="NCAA Football: Michigan State at Illinois" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aiWYnjoaN1BnE-tsVvX1tcsllQQ=/0x0:3000x2000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71619062/usa_today_19369249.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Plus, a reminder of how to watch</p> <p id="lgmY4w">After a disappointing week last week for both Purdue and Illinois took a lot of the luster off of this game there’s no late start, no College Gameday, no battle to take full undisputed control of the Big Ten West. Instead, what’s at stake is the Cannon trophy as well as a Big Ten win, and for Purdue the chance to become bowl eligible. It’s not exactly what we were hoping for but it’s what we’ve got before us so we’ll have to take it. </p>
<p id="oPsWZ6">Illinois comes in with the best scoring defense in the country allowing just over 10 ppg. That’s going to be a tough lift for a Purdue team that has struggled to fin the end zone as of late. To go along with it Purdue’s AOC has thrown 5 interceptions in the last two games and now has to go against a secondary in Illinois that loves to ballhawk and has grabbed a lot of interceptions. This is going to be a great challenge for Purdue and the crew at Hammer and Rails wasn’t entirely optimistic about this one. But hey, that’s why they play the games. </p>
<p id="t1BYgg">Join us here in the game thread to talk about the ups, the downs, and the highs and lows of Purdue vs. Illinois today at noon. </p>
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https://www.hammerandrails.com/2022/11/12/23454690/purdue-vs-illinois-game-thread-how-to-watchjumboheroes2022-11-11T13:49:15-05:002022-11-11T13:49:15-05:00Purdue vs. Illinois - Staff Predictions
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<img alt="Syndication: Journal-Courier" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nRS3eLkQnHH5PVki-X1X97BoQl4=/0x0:5184x3456/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71615974/usa_today_19366626.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Will this guy be happier tomorrow? | Noe Padilla/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption>
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<p>Can Purdue stay alive in the Big Ten West race? </p> <p id="HgB2YB"><strong>Jumbo Heroes (4-5):</strong></p>
<p id="wxO5SR">Apparently I’m not very good at this. I just have too much faith in Purdue. I picked them last week to beat an Iowa team that, I thought, had the offensive firepower of the kid picked last in a game of dodgeball. Unfortunately for Purdue, or perhaps because of Purdue, the Iowa offense woke up to the tune of 24 points and the Iowa defense clamped down on the Purdue offense for just 3 points. </p>
<p id="rtvOJb">So, now that Purdue is facing an Illinois team that has the best scoring defense in the nation do I expect Purdue’s offense to find itself and suddenly turn it around? Unfortunately, no I don’t. My faith in this offense is reaching all time lows as they just can’t seem to put it together. AOC has 5 INTs over the last two games and now must face a ball hawk defense that has 16 INTs on the year. Plus, this is an Illinois offense with a pulse. Sure they’ve found ways to lose to Michigan State and shockingly IU but I don’t think Illinois is going to let Purdue get away with this one. </p>
<p id="COmATh"><strong>Purdue 14</strong></p>
<p id="ZlHe0o"><strong>Illinois 35</strong></p>
<p id="MMUaxg"><strong>Jed (0-1):</strong></p>
<p id="f77zdL">Illinois sports the #1 overall defense in the entire country and although they haven’t faced any teams that would be considered really good offensively, at this point in the season you have to just believe who they are. Illinois, coached by Brett Bielema, has the look of those Wisconsin teams that just absolutely destroyed Purdue during his time in Madison. A strong running game led by Chase Brown, a capable QB in Tommy Devito, and an incredibly stout defense. Let’s be honest here, Purdue just struggles against teams like this and O’Connell hasn’t been his best recently. Purdue has had all of the reasons in the world to come out and play their best football the previous two games with the West Division right in front of them and promptly played their worst games of the year. Unfortunately, I don’t see much of a difference in Champaign on Saturday.</p>
<p id="e12Tiv"><strong>Purdue 17</strong></p>
<p id="mPgWcQ"><strong>Illinois 32 </strong></p>
<p id="MeL7ux"><strong>Drew (4-5):</strong></p>
<p id="CmXTDN">I have no idea who is going to win this game because I have no idea which Purdue team is going to show up. If it’s the Wisconsin/Iowa vintage, Illinois may have this put away by halftime. If it’s the Maryland (offense) or the Minnesota (defense) Boilermakers, Purdue may have this put away at halftime. This is a team without a baseline level of play. Never, ever, bet for or against a Jeff Brohm Purdue team.</p>
<p id="QJwJcI">This team is falling apart at the seams, which makes me think they will walk into Champagne and win. Whatever makes the least sense, is what’s going to happen with this team.</p>
<p id="WCTetV"><strong>Purdue 28</strong></p>
<p id="2yHdWb"><strong>Illinois 24</strong></p>
<p id="l35juu"><strong>Ryan (0-1):</strong></p>
<p id="PYWiwv">Purdue plays the same archetype for the third week in a row. Illinois has the best defense to date and Aiden O’Connell has struggled, especially with interceptions. </p>
<p id="BlUEtC"><strong>Purdue 17</strong></p>
<p id="S64OWz"><strong>Illinois 31</strong></p>
https://www.hammerandrails.com/2022/11/11/23453047/purdue-vs-illinois-staff-predictionsjumboheroesDrew SchneiderJedWilkinsonPURB972022-11-11T07:55:10-05:002022-11-11T07:55:10-05:00Can Purdue Find a Way to Defeat Illinois?
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<img alt="Syndication: Journal-Courier" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9xsKX8voTLrV6hl2C66CQLHBTGQ=/0x0:2647x1765/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71614163/usa_today_19398612.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption>
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<p>Plus we talk the Purdue victory over Milwaukee. </p> <p id="KOnAGe">With the Illinois game just one day away Ryan and I had to step back to the microphones to give you some info on what to expect from the Fighting Illini. They are the best scoring defense in the nation. Is that a result of a weak schedule or are they that good? Can Purdue find a way to put up points on them? What about their offense? Who/what should Purdue be worried about on that side of the ball? </p>
<p id="wlmnQM">Then Ryan and I take some time to enjoy the Purdue basketball victory over Milwaukee that put the Boilermakers 1-0 on the young season. We look ahead to tonight’s game against Austin Peay which really shouldn’t be much of a game. </p>
<p id="j8tJMb">Make sure to like, rate, review, and subscribe so that we can keep providing you this excellent product. Tell all your friends that this is your favorite Purdue podcast.</p>
<div id="1jDLFk"><div style="max-width: 660px;"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 175px; position: relative;"><iframe src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h-r-podcast-purdue-basketball-is-1-0-purdue-football/id1089675633?i=1000585856856" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" allow="encrypted-media;"></iframe></div></div></div>
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https://www.hammerandrails.com/2022/11/11/23453042/can-purdue-find-a-way-to-defeat-illinoisjumboheroesPURB972022-11-10T18:27:00-05:002022-11-10T18:27:00-05:00Interview with the Enemy - The Champaign Room
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<img alt="NCAA Football: Michigan State at Illinois" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oey5QnwTG9znCVnsdnxOFGQSQVw=/0x0:3000x2000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71612571/usa_today_19369304.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The folks from the Illinois SB Nation site stop by to talk Saturday’s game. </p> <p id="j9cOvp">With Purdue heading to Champaign for a matchup with the country’s number one defense I asked the folks over at the Champaign Room to answer some of my burning questions. They obliged. </p>
<p id="u6ypzj"><strong>Illinois football has really turned things around. Bret Bielema has been on the job for less than two years and suddenly you’ve got the top ranked defense in the country, so my first question is simple, how? </strong></p>
<p id="nMvpkc">You know, it’s convenient that a Purdue blog should ask me this question because it’s easiest to explain to you guys. Remember when Jeff Brohm took over Darrell Hazell’s lifeless husk of a program and put those players in a bowl game immediately? It’s like that! Purdue was able to take guys who hadn’t found much success and put them in position to play good football with coaching and strategy, turning David Blough into an NFL player along the way. When Bret Bielema put together his staff, I gave him very high marks for bringing in guys that had experience in college football coaching and recruiting from a bunch of different backgrounds and from a bunch of different archetypes. He found an up-and-coming star defensive coordinator and poached him from an SEC team that is also the other side of a dormant rivalry with Illinois. That was a bold move to get Ryan Walters and it has paid unbelievable dividends. Lovie Smith always recruited good athletes for their positions, figuring he could coach them up later (he could not, or couldn’t be bothered to). This left Walters with guys like big DT Calvin Avery, power forward/edge rusher Keith Randolph, speed rusher Seth Coleman, speedy linebacker Tarique Barnes and good speed and quickness in the secondary. Lovie simply never changed his defensive strategy, even when it meant his base Cover 2 had a linebacker covering Rondale Moore in the slot. Walters has tailored the defense to get the most out of these guys.</p>
<p id="P8093v">They run a lot of Cover 1 to take advantage of Sydney Brown’s range and ballhawking qualities. That means the corners are in man coverage most of the time…which, when you have good athletes, is the best way to use them! To support this secondary scheme, they prioritize bringing pressure and will use several different fronts and blitz packages over the course of a game to that end. It has worked pretty well, with the only vulnerability being that if a quarterback can beat the blitz by rolling out, they might be able to find receivers in positions to make huge plays downfield with minimal backside help. This happened against Nebraska early on. There’s a lot of risk, but it’s been worth taking so far.</p>
<p id="6AaWss">Walters is a superstar and the position coaches are clearly an upgrade over Lovie’s kid coaching linebackers. That’s the simplest way to put it: Walters optimized scheme for the talent available.</p>
<p id="uDZ4P8"><strong>Continuing on the subject of Bret Bielema the internet tells me his nickname is Bert. Isn’t that just a misspelling of his first name? How is that a nickname? </strong></p>
<p id="z8Yyoj">It’s been around for longer than I even know. He was Bert to me at Wisconsin and that was 10 years ago. At this point it’s just gone on for so long that I’m not even willing to question it anymore, and it sounds like he isn’t either. </p>
<p id="nkoSYj">I think the main reason it’s caught on is because Bret with one ‘t’ is not very common and Bert is very fun to say. There are many Bretts. There’s only one Bert.</p>
<p id="VzLCJI"><strong>With the Illinois defense being the star of the show who does Purdue need to look out for on the offensive side of the ball? </strong></p>
<p id="qjO2iG">I still don’t think this offense has reached its full potential, but it’s been a renaissance under Barry Lunney Jr in his first year. Chase Brown is the workhorse, but he doesn’t have breakaway speed from the middle of the pile. The game breaker is Isaiah Williams, a former quarterback who was heavily recruited as a receiver by the likes of Ohio State and Oklahoma. He landed at Illinois because we hired his high school coach on as an assistant and promised he could play quarterback, and that request was honored by Lovie’s regime. Bielema’s guys have found him a niche at receiver due to his Rondale Moore-grade athleticism. He lacks Moore’s hands and route running ability, but can absolutely make guys miss and take it to the house.</p>
<p id="rHY01Y">A lot of my pessimism for this season was driven by my fear of losing several veteran starters on the offensive line, and those losses have had a big impact on our ability to run the ball between the tackles well. Lunney has schemed his way around this with the help of transfer QB Tommy DeVito, but Chase Brown is going to break a lot of tackles.</p>
<p id="Ayhw0Q"><strong>Purdue has been a team of ups and downs all season long and it seems that Illinois has had their share as well. How can you explain the early season loss to moribund IU? </strong></p>
<p id="gaXvPP">The biggest limitation of the offense is in the red zone when the defense tightens up and there’s less space to work with. The run-up-the-gut MANBALL stuff Illinois did last year isn’t really in the arsenal this year</p>
<p id="D9gDhf">This is compounded by the fact that through 9 games, the coaches haven’t yet accepted that they have real issues with short yardage in the red zone. At least I’m assuming that’s why they refuse to settle for field goals. Michigan has similar red zone issues and Jake Moody is a Groza award frontrunner.</p>
<p id="T0DCLd">Those red zone issues were out in full force against the Hoosiers and last week against Michigan State. The two games were remarkably similar in that first year punter Hugh Robertson had multiple disastrous punts in each game and Chase Brown fumbled in enemy territory. Michigan State moved the pocket on offense to evade the pressure and made some passing work with that strategy.</p>
<p id="wyKRv1">The Indiana game required even more ridiculous things to happen, such as a play where I still don’t understand how a touchdown for Illinois wasn’t called, four turnovers by the Illini, an Indiana field goal that I swear to God missed, and Connor Bazelak becoming a flame throwing sniper in the fourth quarter for the first and only time with Indiana.</p>
<p id="030Zu7">It becomes more mystifying each week.</p>
<p id="iL3c9r"><strong>What do you expect will happen in this weekend’s game and can either of these teams get on track and be consistent? </strong> </p>
<p id="wAsznl">I expect Barry Lunney to call his best game of the season and Illinois to put up three touchdowns or more. How this game goes depends on whether or not Illinois makes any backbreaking mistakes , and outside of that it’ll be dictated by how well Devon Witherspoon covers Charlie Jones and how quickly Aidan O’Connell can scan the field and get the ball out. If he starts looking at the pass rush instead of downfield, it’ll be a long day and it might look like Purdue’s last two games. I think a clean game could yield a low scoring shootout of sorts. <strong>24-21 Illinois</strong></p>
https://www.hammerandrails.com/2022/11/10/23452319/interview-with-the-enemy-the-champaign-roomjumboheroes2022-11-10T14:20:00-05:002022-11-10T14:20:00-05:00Matchups to Watch | Purdue vs. Illinois
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<figcaption>Aidan O’Connell is the key to a victory for the Boilers against the Fighting Illini. | Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>What Matchups To Watch For Saturday Against The Fighting Illini</p> <h1 id="0mw8I7"> <strong>Matchups To Watch</strong>
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<h2 id="1FDq1a"> <strong>Purdue Boilermakers vs. Illinois Fighting Illini</strong>
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<p id="urq6bu"> The Boilers travel to Champaign this Saturday to face off against the surprise of the B1G Illinois led by second year head coach Brett Bielema. The Illini have raced to an 7-2 record and surprisingly lost both games to two of the lower thought of programs this season in Indiana and Michigan State. Illinois has some quality wins over Minnesota, at Wisconsin, and Iowa and features another highly rated defense. This team just seems like a more offensively proficient Iowa and Wisconsin team this season and that doesn’t particularly bode well for Purdue considering the previous two games. Let’s take a look at what might be the most important matchups to watch.</p>
<h3 id="X93T0k"><strong>Illini WR Isaiah Williams vs. Purdue CB’s Not Named Cory Trice</strong></h3>
<p id="Ly1bTo"> It’s no secret that the Boilermakers have struggled against good running backs throughout the better part of Jeff Brohm’s tenure at Purdue but this season they have proven to be quite stout. This season they rank 25th in rushing yards per game (118.2) but rank 78th in passing yards per game (237.1) which places them as the 38th overall defense (355.3 yards per game). The frequency of big plays in the passing game has been an issue from the Penn State game where Purdue continually gave up big plays that changed the momentum of the game. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">TOUCHDOWN <a href="https://twitter.com/IlliniFootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IlliniFootball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/i_williams11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@i_williams11</a> puttin' on a clinic with that 60-yard TD score! <a href="https://t.co/jWplxs5RP3">pic.twitter.com/jWplxs5RP3</a></p>— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) <a href="https://twitter.com/CFBONFOX/status/1588984954393862145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2022</a>
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<p id="HO0lTf"> Illini WR Isaiah Williams is the Illini’s best receiving threat but in the mold of Wisconsin and Iowa, they seem to be content with running the ball and taking shots down the field when presented with the opportunity. Williams has 537 yards receiving (which is about 150 yards more than the next player) but holds 5 touchdowns as well. When Trice isn’t matched up against the opposing team’s best playmaker outside, the opponent has largely been able to get behind the corners and safeties and generate big plays in the passing game.</p>
<p id="xeQQ0i"> It was interesting to see Hampton get the start last week instead of Cam Allen at safety but this week it will be more interesting to see who plays opposite Trice as the field cornerback. If that play struggles, look for the Illini to take advantage with multiple deep passes to keep the safeties out of run support opportunities or getting Williams underneath and into space.</p>
<h3 id="ViXMiw"><strong>Illini RB Chase Brown vs. Purdue Front 7</strong></h3>
<p id="8XLfZG"><strong> </strong>I am going to start this out really simply: Chase Brown is a legit dude. He is averaging nearly 6 yards per carry, 141 yards per game, and leads the nation in rushing yards. The dude knows how to tote the rock and there is nothing scarier to Purdue fans than to see that level of running back in an offense like Bielema’s. You know they will be content to hand the ball off to Chase Brown 30+ times on Saturday and let him just continually wear down Purdue’s defense until he either pops long runs or the play action schemes bring the safeties into the box for a pass over the top on vulnerable cornerbacks.</p>
<p id="xoZLHe"> Purdue had seemed to make strides over the first half of the season in their run defense and having linebackers properly filling gaps on the defensive line but that seemed to go away last week against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Frequently, Purdue was out of position and was susceptible to cutbacks for long gains in the running game, most notably the long touchdown to start the second half. With 14:54 in the 3rd quarter, Johnson took a 2nd and 10 handoff up the middle, cut back to his right, broke an arm tackle, and raced 75 yards for the touchdown. In this play, you’ll see a defensive lineman getting too aggressive and getting upfield which allows Johnson the cutback lane, a linebacker who fails to step into his gap responsibility on the backside, and a cornerback who fails to maintain leverage to the outside. In short, poor execution that occurred all game that led to Iowa dominating from start to finish. This Illini team is better offensively than Iowa’s and Chase Brown might just be the best running back in the B1G, if not the country.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">KALEB JOHNSON. 75 YARDS. IOWA STRIKES IN NO TIME TO START THE SECOND HALF. ⚡️ <br> <a href="https://t.co/b9oFglH5y2">pic.twitter.com/b9oFglH5y2</a></p>— SuperHawkeyeFan (@superhawkeyefan) <a href="https://twitter.com/superhawkeyefan/status/1588955048687849472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2022</a>
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<h3 id="myUs6c"><strong>QB Aidan O’Connell vs. Illini Defense</strong></h3>
<p id="hbt1lb"> The Illini feature the #1 ranked defense in the entire NCAA allowing only 232.2 yards per game, giving up only 9 total touchdowns, and being the 2nd rated defense in yards per play at 4.05. Here is where the Illini rank in a number of defensive statistical categories:</p>
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<li id="9wS8ed">Rushing Defense | 4th (79.7ypg)</li>
<li id="XTg94a">Passing Defense | 1st (152.6ypg)</li>
<li id="qYBDGV">3rd Down Conversion Rate | 3rd (.256%)</li>
<li id="lZJfgt">First Down Defense | 1st (113)</li>
<li id="E4PNWF">Red Zone Defense | 9th (.706)</li>
<li id="AnsVuO">Scoring Defense | 1st (10.44)</li>
<li id="w44hGv">Team Passing Efficiency Defense | 1st (84.09)</li>
<li id="hTgvLF">Turnovers Gained | 4th (24)</li>
<li id="kUUX2U">Tackles for Loss | 25th (6.7 per game)</li>
<li id="99ME4m">Sacks | 19th (2.86 per game)</li>
<li id="YoTWU7">Interceptions | 1st (16)</li>
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<p id="QEczDf"> Illinois will be an aggressive defense that will, at times, bring six defenders onto the line of scrimmage and play a man-cover 0 concept behind it. They will likely also play a lot of man to man with a single high safety that will look to roam the center of the field in a deep zone. If Purdue continues to struggle to break man coverage at the line of scrimmage, it will allow Illinois to account for Mockobee in the running game much easier. Against the Hawkeyes, AOC did not distribute the ball well to options outside of Charlie Jones and that needs to occur so Purdue does not become one dimensional. </p>
<p id="UFou3t"> The fact is that Purdue won’t win this game if O’Connell continues to play like he has the previous two weeks where he has thrown 5 interceptions and seemed to struggle to gain any sort of consistency throughout the games. Against a defense like Illinois, Purdue is going to have to string some long, methodical drives together as Illinois doesn’t give up many big plays. Can AOC and Jeff Brohm be patient and stay on schedule to get themselves consistently in 3rd and short situations to catch Illinois off balance in the play action or inside run game? If O’Connell is needed to throw the ball 50+ times, it likely spells disaster for Purdue as that means they are playing from behind and the run game is ineffective. </p>
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<p id="JoXSjl"><strong>The Sum Up:</strong> This is going to be a difficult game for Purdue to win. If Purdue can contain Chase Brown (not letting him get to his average would be a good start), keeping Isaiah Williams from the open field for explosive plays, and O’Connell can control the game with consistency and patience in the passing game, they have a chance to put themselves back in the driver’s seat in the West Division. If not, they may struggle to get to 6 wins this season.</p>
https://www.hammerandrails.com/2022/11/10/23451429/matchups-to-watch-purdue-vs-illinoisJedWilkinson