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Purdue football opponent preview | Illinois building momentum

Youth movement starting to pay dividends for the Fighting Illini

Mike Carmin
Journal & Courier
  • Illinois leads the Big Ten with 10 interceptions
  • The Illini have rushed for at least 212 yards in each of the first five games
  • Reggie Corbin is averaging 7.8 yards per carry
  • Defensive lineman Bobby Roundtree has three sacks
llinois quarterback AJ Bush Jr. runs with the ball as Rutgers linebacker Trevor Morris (5) gives chase during the second half of a 38-17 Illini victory last week.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Here’s a look at the Illinois Fighting Illini, Saturday’s opponent at Memorial Stadium:

OVERVIEW

Lovie Smith took the long view when he was hired in Champaign.

Insert young players in the lineup. Watch them develop. Maybe squeeze out some wins in the process.

Smith is now in his third season, and the Illini are taking steps forward. They’re not giant leaps yet, but you see progress. How much won't be determined until the end of the 2018 season but Smith has Illinois in a position to challenge for a bowl berth.

Illinois running back Mike Epstein (26) is congratulated by offensive lineman Nick Allegretti, left, after Epstein's touchdown during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Rutgers on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018, in Piscataway, N.J. With them are tight end Austin Roberts (36) and lineman Kendrick Green. Illinois won 38-17. (AP Photo/David Boe)

The Illini snapped a 13-game losing streak to Big Ten teams with a victory at Rutgers last week.

“We needed to get a win. It was a big win for us,” Smith said. “As I talk about an opportunity to be over .500 in Big Ten Play, that's big for our guys.”

Just how young are the Illini?

They have 80 underclassmen — 40 sophomores and 40 freshmen (only nine redshirt freshmen) — out of 104 players. Illinois has the highest percentage of underclassmen in the nation at 76.9. There are only four fifth-year seniors on the roster.

Illinois running back Mike Epstein gets away from Rutgers defensive back Kiy Hester on the way to a touchdown during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018, in Piscataway, N.J. Illinois won 38-17 (AP Photo/David Boe)

This season, 28 players — including 17 freshmen — have made their debuts.

Illinois has three wins, surpassing last year’s win total by one and equaling the 2016 season. Even if the Illini fall short against the Boilermakers, they have plenty of opportunities in the second half of the season to reach six wins. 

“I think we are getting better,” said Smith, whose team led South Florida and Penn State in the second half, only to lose. “We said that before we won the game this past week. We have so much farther to go, and I'm just looking forward to taking more steps this week.

“If you watch that game, there was so much we left out there, and we are not a finished product by any means. We have an opportunity now that we're healthy to take another step this week.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Illinois quarterback AJ Bush, Jr., (1) finds a hole to run through against Kent State in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game in Champaign, Ill., Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Holly Hart)

AJ Bush, Jr: Missed 2 ½ games due to an injury but the dual-threat quarterback delivered a 116-yard rushing performance in the win over Rutgers. The graduate transfer, who made stops at Nebraska, Iowa Western and Virginia Tech before arriving in Champaign in August, amassed 329 yards of total offense in the opener against Kent State.

Bobby Roundtree: The sophomore defensive end is making his presence felt through five games. He leads the nation with five pass break-ups — remember that’s for a defensive lineman. He's averaging 6.3 tackles per game and Purdue’s offensive line must keep Roundtree out of the backfield.

POSITION TO WATCH

Running backs: Bush, Jr., will be a handful for the defense in the run game but add the contributions from junior Reggie Corbin and sophomore Mike Epstein and the Boilermakers must be on high alert. The duo has combined for three 100-yard rushing games for an offense, which is averaging 260.8 yards on the ground.

Illinois head coach Lovie Smith

BY THE NUMBER

10: Interceptions, including three each by cornerback Jartavius Martin and linebacker Del’Shawn Phillips. The Illini are tied for the fourth most in the nation. 

DID YOU KNOW

Rod Smith should have a good idea about Purdue co-defensive coordinator Nick Holt’s tendencies. Smith, who is in his first season as the Illini’s offensive coordinator, faced Holt’s defense last year in the Foster Farms Bowl when he was Arizona’s offensive coordinator. The Boilermakers gave up 35 points to the Wildcats in the bowl game. 

SMITH ON PURDUE

“Productive Year 1. Another year in the system. I talk about improvement from Game 1 to Game 2, improvements from Year 1 to Year 2 a lot of times. We expected them to take a step. When you add a special player (Rondale Moore) the way that they did, it’s something to pay attention to. There are a lot of different ways they can attack you. It’ll be a big challenge for our defense this week.”

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