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Purdue Cannon: Illinois looks to win its third straight in West Lafayette

The Illinois Fighting Illini travel to West Lafayette, Indiana to take on the Purdue Boilermakers in the battle for the Purdue Cannon. Here are some of the key matchups we are watching out for this week.

Illinois run defense vs. Purdue four-headed rushing attack

Every Big Ten coach wants to establish the run. Purdue doesn’t have a workhorse, go-to running back this early in first-year head coach Jeff Brohm’s tenure. Brohm is part of the Bobby Petrino coaching tree, which usually means one thing: Pass, pass, pass. The 2017 Purdue Boilermakers have the 10th best rushing offense in the Big Ten.