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Pete Fiutak

Illinois vs Purdue Prediction Game Preview

Illinois vs Purdue prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 11, Saturday, November 12


Illinois vs Purdue How To Watch

Date: Saturday, November 12
Game Time: 12:00 ET
Venue: Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL
How To Watch: ESPN2
Record: Purdue (5-4), Illinois (7-2)
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CFN 1-131 Rankings | Rankings by Conference
Bowl Projections | Expert Picks Week 11
Week 11 Schedule, Predictions | Bowl Bubble
Path to the Playoff: 12 teams still in the race
Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Illinois vs Purdue Game Preview

Why Purdue Will Win

So how did Michigan State do it?

How did it solve the Illinois defense, ball control style, and all that’s going into one of the biggest surprises in the 2022 college football season?

It bent but didn’t break – scoring 23 straight points after getting down 7-0 – and it made the Illini press more than they wanted to.

The Spartans hit their passes, and Purdue has to get throwing and put points on the board out of the gate.

The offense sputtered against Iowa in last week’s 24-3 loss – nothing worked – but as long as Aidan O’Connell is hitting over 60% of his passes like he normally does this should be interesting.

Illinois lost two games. Those were the two times it allowed the opposing passing games to connect on more than 53% of their throws.

But …

Bowl Bubble: Every Team’s Bowl Situation

Why Illinois Will Win

That’s easier said than done.

Purdue has hit a bit of a wall.

Wisconsin allowed O’Connell to hit his passes, but they didn’t really go anywhere. Iowa took out the middle man and didn’t even allow him to complete the throws.

Even with the tough loss to Michigan State, Illinois is still the best in the nation in pass defense, No. 1 in scoring defense, No. 1 in interceptions, and No. 1 in first downs allowed.

Basically, the Purdue offense fits what Illinois likes to do.

Michigan State can hit a few deep shots and pushes its passing game further. Purdue dinks and dunks, and Illinois will take it.

The completion percentage will be there for the Boilermakers, but it won’t mean what it usually does.

Schedules, Predictions CollegeNFL

What’s Going To Happen

Can Purdue get out to a hot start and make Illinois open things up?

Not quite, but it’ll make things interesting.

The Illinois ground game doesn’t have to dominate, but it has to be part of a balanced attack that should be able to control the clock and the tempo. That’s Purdue’s game – it’s great in the time of possession battle – but it won’t be good enough offensively on third downs to get control.

Expert Picks College Week 11NFL Week 10

Illinois vs Purdue Prediction, Line

Illinois 24, Purdue 20
Line: Illinois -6.5, o/u: 44.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2.5
Illinois vs Purdue Must See Rating (out of 5): 3.5
Predictions of Every Game

Bowl Projections | Rankings
Schedules, Scores For All 131 Teams

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