Purdue opponent early outlook: Illinois
As the 2023 football season nears closer, GoldandBlack.com will provide a mid-summer outlook of each of Purdue’s opponents. Today, it’s Illinois, a game with plenty of storylines as Ryan Walters coaches against his former boss.
2022 RECORD: 8-5 (5-4 Big Ten)
HEAD COACH: Bret Bielema (13-12 entering third year at Illinois, 110-70 overall)
KEY PLAYERS: WR Isaiah Williams, DT Jer’Zhan Newton, DT Keith Randolph Jr.
HISTORY VS. PURDUE: Purdue enters this year’s matchup winners of three straight in the battle for the Cannon, winning 13 of the last 17 meetings. Each of the last four Boilermaker head coaches finished with a winning percentage of .500 or better against the Fighting Illini, giving Ryan Walters reason for optimism. The storylines write themselves ahead of this September homecoming meeting in Ross-Ade Stadium, as Walters spent the last two seasons as Illinois’ defensive coordinator before accepting the Purdue head coaching gig. Even more, a number of Walters’ assistants made the trip east on I-74 to join him in West Lafayette.
ABOUT THE FIGHTING ILLINI: Year two of the Bielema Era turned into a breakout season. The eight wins marked the best record since the 2007 Rose Bowl season, earning Illinois just its third bowl trip since 2011. The nation’s number one scoring defense fueled the campaign for Illinois, as opponents averaged just 12.8 points against Walters’ defense. Furthermore, the Illini finished with a +15 turnover margin, good for number three in the country.
Despite Walters’ departure, there’s much to like about Illinois’ defense in 2023. Aaron Henry was promoted to defensive coordinator, and he won’t look to change much from the unique scheme that Walters deploys. Dominant defensive tackles Jer’Zhan Newton and Keith Randolph Jr. return to form arguably the nation’s best interior duo, and six starters are back along a front seven that allowed just under 100 rushing yards per game. While the secondary lost stars Devon Witherspoon and Sydney Brown, it should be another stout Illinois defense in 2023.
On the other side of the ball, Illinois replaced transfer quarterback Tommy DeVito with another transfer in Ole Miss’ Luke Altmyer. The former four-star recruit attempted just 54 passes in Oxford, but he’ll lead the Illini offense in 2023. Talented running back Josh McCray returns from a season-ending ACL tear, and veteran Reggie Love III joins him in the backfield with 124 career carries.
Bielema teams always lean on the ground game. Despite losing standout back Chase Brown, the Illini should run the ball well behind three returning starters on the offensive line. If Altmyer can click with a decent receiving corps, the Illini can push to finish toward the top of the Big Ten West again.
More: Athlon on Illinois
Previous in this series: Fresno State, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Wisconsin
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