Last season’s Illinois game was one of the hardest to watch all year. It was a struggle. The Fighting Illini defense fought valiantly and stymied Purdue’s offense (which was without David Bell) for most of the game. It was like soccer, really. Until deep in the fourth quarter it was 9-6 on five combined field goals, but a late Purdue drive for a touchdown to TJ Sheffield gave the Boilers a much-needed win and turned the season a bit.
There were a few significant things that happened with that win. First, it was the first time Purdue beat Bret Bielema, as his tenure at Wisconsin consisted of beating the crap out of Purdue five times.