CHAMPAIGN — Once assistant coaches together at Ohio State and then rival head coaches in the Mid-American Conference, Illinois coach Tim Beckman and Purdue coach Darrell Hazell know each other well.
“I’ve coached with Darrell, and a lot of guys on their staff I know personally,” Beckman said. “I know they’ll be well-prepared and ready to roll.”
But their coaching routes are not all the two have in common as they prepare to meet Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Big Ten wins have been hard to come by for both. Hazell, in his second year with the Boilermakers after leaving Kent State, has no conference victories. Beckman, who is in his third season at Illinois after rebuilding Toledo, has just one conference victory.
That victory came against Purdue, providing hope for Illini fans this weekend.
Illinois (3-2, 0-1) could beat Purdue in consecutive years — and maintain its grasp on the Cannon Trophy — for the first time since 2002. The Boilermakers (2-3, 0-1) represent a rare can-win, must-win scenario for the Illini.
Not that Illinois is looking at it that way.
“They’re a Big Ten team,” Illinois defensive coordinator Tim Banks said. “They’re going to play hard. And they’re hungry for a victory. We’re going to have all hands on deck. We’re looking at them no differently than we looked at Nebraska. They’re extremely dangerous.”
Statistically, that’s not the case.
The Boilermakers rank last among 14 conference teams with 312 yards of offense per game. They rank 10th in total defense, giving up 387.4 yards a game.
The Illini, a team that struggles on third down, must be eager to face an opponent that ranks last in the Big Ten, allowing opponents to convert 45.7 percent.
“They’ve gotten better each week,” Beckman said of Purdue. “They’ve been competitive. I thought last week they played an Iowa team that we know is pretty good at their place and played them for four quarters. They were really in the game the whole time.”
Beckman described Boilermakers running back Akeem Hunt as the “guy that you have to defeat.” He averages 6 yards per carry but has not broken the 100-yard threshold.
Illinois, coming off a 45-14 loss at Nebraska, will need to improve its run defense to keep Hunt from accomplishing that. The Illini yield a Big Ten-worst 229.6 rushing yards per game.
The Illini can’t afford to waste this opportunity at home.
“We’ve got to be able to look at some of the things that we’re doing well and what we’re doing with this program right now,” Beckman said, “and continue to move it forward instead of dwell on the negative.”
Lunt update: Quarterback Wes Lunt (knee) has been cleared to play, according to Thursday’s injury report.
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