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The Illinois Fighting Illini and the Purdue Boilermakers are set to square off in a Big Ten matchup at 3:30 p.m. ET Sept. 25 at Ross-Ade Stadium. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W.'
It was all tied up 3-3 at halftime, but the Fighting Illini were not quite the Maryland Terrapins' equal in the second half when they met last week. Illinois fell just short of Maryland by a score of 20-17. RB Josh McCray put forth a good effort for the losing side as he punched in one rushing touchdown. McCray hadn't helped his team much against the Virginia Cavaliers two weeks ago, so this was a nice turnaround for him.
Meanwhile, Purdue was first on the board but had to settle for second at the end of their matchup against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish last week. Purdue fell to Notre Dame 27-13. No one had a standout game offensively for the Boilermakers, but QB Jack Plummer led the way with one touchdown.
The Fighting Illini are the clear underdogs, so they're hoping it's the size of the fight that determines this one. However, those who like betting on the underdog should be happy to hear that they are 2-0 against the spread when expected to lose.
The losses put Illinois at 1-3 and Purdue at 2-1. A couple numbers to keep in mind before kickoff: Illinois is stumbling into the contest with the 214th most rushing touchdowns allowed in the nation, having given up seven on the season. Purdue has experienced some struggles of their own as they are 166th worst in the nation in rushing touchdowns, with only two on the season. We'll see if the Fighting Illini's defense can keep Purdue's running backs out of the end zone.
