The Illinois Fighting Illini (4-4) travel to meet the Purdue Boilermakers (2-6) looking to snap their three-game losing streak. The Big 10’s third-leading receiver, Geronimo Allison (734 yards, 3 TDs), is a player to watch in this matchup. It will begin Saturday, Nov 7 at 12:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on BTN and BTN2.
Purdue beat Nebraska 55-45 last week. David Blough had a big game passing the ball in the win, completing 28 of 43 passes for 274 yards and four TDs. He did some damage on the ground, running for 82 yards and a TD on 10 attempts. DeAngelo Yancey had a big game as well, totaling 111 receiving yards and two TDs on five receptions. Illinois didn’t have the same success as Purdue, getting dominated by Penn State 39-0. Dionte Taylor had a good game for the Fighting Illini, registering four receptions for 45 yards.
The Boilermakers are slim underdogs with Illinois favored by one in the game. For this contest, the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable.
The Boilermakers enter the game with records of 2-6 Straight Up (SU) and 4-4 Against The Spread (ATS) this season. Over their last five games, the Boilermakers have records of 1-4 SU and 3-2 ATS. The Boilermakers utilize their passing attack frequently. They pass 38.5 times per game, which is the 20th-most in the nation. Turning to the Boilermakers defense, a few key spots could be deciding factors this week. Purdue will have the upper hand when attempting to shut down the passing game. Illinois averages only 10.4 yards per pass, ranking 119th in the country.
On the other side, the Fighting Illini have 4-4 SU and ATS records this season. In the previous five games, Illinois has a record of 2-3 both SU and ATS. The Fighting Illini like to keep the ball in the air. On average, they pass 43 times per game. Switching gears to the Illinois defense, there are certain areas where it measures up well against the Boilermakers. The Fighting Illini may be able to focus their attention on other areas, because Purdue’s run game has not been reliable this year. The Boilermakers rank 103rd in the nation with 140.9 rushing yards per game. The Fighting Illini need to capitalize on takeaway opportunities against the turnover-inclined Boilermakers, who rank 113th in the country in turnovers with 2.2 per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Illinois, ATS Winner – Illinois
Notes
Purdue is 4-7-1 ATS in its last 12 games.
Purdue is 2-12 SU in its last 14 games.
Purdue is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games at home.
Purdue is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Purdue’s last 6 games at home.
Purdue is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing Illinois.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Purdue’s last 6 games when playing Illinois.
Purdue is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Illinois.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Purdue’s last 5 games when playing at home against Illinois.
Illinois is 3-0 SU when leading at the half this season. Purdue is 2-1 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Remarkably, Purdue is winless (0-4) SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet 2-1 SU when losing the turnover battle.
Dating back to last season, Purdue is only 2-10 SU against Big 10 opponents, while Illinois is just 4-8 SU against in-conference foes.
The Purdue rushing attack is ranked only 103rd in the nation, while the Illinois run defense is ranked 45th. The Fighting Illini rushing game is ranked just 117th, compared to the 89th-ranked run defense of the Boilermakers.
