The Purdue Boilermakers and the Illinois Fighting Illini are set to square off in a Big Ten matchup at noon ET Nov. 12 at Memorial Stadium. Coming off of a loss in a game they were expected to win, the Boilermakers nows face the more daunting task of proving themselves against unfavorable odds.
A win for Purdue just wasn't in the stars last week as the team never even grasped a temporary lead. They found themselves the reluctant recipients of an unpleasant 24-3 punch to the gut against the Iowa Hawkeyes. The last quarter was a mere formality since it was already 24-3 by the third quarter. QB Aidan O'Connell had a memorable game, but not in the way you want to be remembered: besides failing to produce a single touchdown, he threw two interceptions with only 3.91 yards per passing attempt.
Meanwhile, Illinois entered their matchup against the Michigan State Spartans last week without any home losses -- but there's a first time for everything. Illinois came up short against MSU, falling 23-15. If the result catches you off guard, it should: Illinois was far and away the favorite. A silver lining for them was the play of WR Isaiah Williams, who caught five passes for two TDs and 98 yards. Tommy DeVito's 60-yard touchdown toss to Williams in the first quarter made for one of the most memorable moments of the afternoon.
These two teams will surely be fighting tooth and nail to get back into the win column after losses last week. The teams are out to make things right after dropping matches they were expected to win, so stay tuned to see which squad bounces back.