What a difference a week or two can make for the mood Illini football fans. The season began with ebullient enthusiasm. As opening day approached, and with a 52-3 favorable result over Kent State, the mood was like listening to Earth, Wind and Fire’s “September.” (or the Phats & Small September ’99 remix for my younger readers).
After a thorough demolishing at the hands of MAC foe Western Michigan in week three, the mood then became more Green Day “Wake Me Up When September Ends.”
Now the Illini losses look a lot better here in week five, and the announcement of a $132 million addition/renovation to their stadium has spirits higher again.
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TV: Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016 | 2:30 pm CT (2:42 CT kick) BTN Eric Collins and Glen Mason
SPREAD: Illini football -10
What’s at stake: Neither team inspired very realistic aspirations about going to a bowl game, but the winner stays alive with a reasonable chance at the postseason. The loser is almost certainly home for the holidays.
Purdue Boilermakers Preview:
The fact that Darrell Hazell is still coaching the team this week means he’ll most likely stick around till the end of the season.
Then he has to be gone. Purdue has a new A.D. and logic held they’d give him a chance to make a total 180 in the direction of his program this season. That hasn’t happened this year. AT ALL. It’s been business as usual with Hazell having as many Big Ten wins in three plus seasons as Western Michigan (a MAC school) had last month.
Hazell said he’s not worried about his job security right now, but he’s most likely gone at the end of the season. The pathetic effort turned in by the Boilermakers at Maryland last week was more than sufficient grounds for dismissal.
Maryland tailback Ty Johnson is now the reigning B1G Offensive Player of the week after he rushed for 204 yards on just seven carries against Purdue, averaging 29.1 yards per attempt. He helped paced a Maryland rushing attack that generated 400 yards on the ground.
Yes, lots of guys win B1G Player of the week when they face Purdue in the Hazell era. This could be the definitive Lovie Smith “we get off the bus running” kind of game that Illini football fans have been waiting all spring and summer for. We’ll see Saturday whether that comes from Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Kendrick Foster or Reggie Corbin; or a combination of all three.
Expect Smith and offensive coordinator Garrick McGee to mix it up and play the hot hand against a pillow top mattress soft Purdue run defense.
So Illinois is a 10 point favorite over Purdue. Illinois should not be a 10 point favorite over anyone except Purdue.
— Hammer and Rails (@HammerAndRails) October 3, 2016
The biggest issue Hazell has to resolve this week is the match-up of his offensive tackles, one of the team’s biggest weaknesses on a team full of weakness, versus the pair of Illinois defensive ends, both of which have legitimate first round NFL Draft appeal.
This Illini football team is far from good, and you already know that. However, they do have elite pass rushing ends who can exploit the Boilermakers OTs.
Illini Football Preview:
In February, the school got their Athletic Director in Josh Whitman, as they replaced someone with the sports acumen and personality of a credit default swap salesman with a class valedictorian (West Lafayette, IN native) and former Illini football star.
In March, they got a legitimate Illini football coach; replacing a de facto interim, and nefarious nepotist with a former NFC North and NFC champion. Monday brought the announcement of a $132 million upgrade to Memorial Stadium; meaning Illini football just took another big step forward in the college football arms race.
And if you think college football isn’t a complete arms race these days…then you just haven’t been paying attention enough.
Prediction: Illini Football 28, Purdue 21
Lovie said Monday that Phillips does not have a long term injury. Even with Phillips banged up/not 100%/possibly missing this game, I still see the Illinois DEs versus the Purdue OTs as a huge matchup advantage; and it’ll be enough to carry Illini football to their first FBS and B1G win for Lovie Smith.
Purdue’s pass blocking has been god awful, and the point that that their passing offense is bad gets further driven home this weekend given what’s going on in the SEC.
Saturday is also Florida versus LSU, a.k.a. the former Purdue Signal Caller Bowl, with Austin Appelby (Gators) versus Danny Etling (Tigers). I guess Purdue is still the cradle of quarterbacks after all…they’re just in the SEC now.
The score will remain close, somewhat competitive most of the way, but Illinois will remain in control from start to finish; get it done and salvage some hope for this season. With a trip to Rutgers on the horizon after this, Illini football could be at .500 halfway through the season.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.
He also consistently appears on numerous radio and television talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram and Sound Cloud.