The Illinois Fighting Illini travel to Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind., to take on the Purdue Boilermakers in Week 5 college football action. The Big Ten West showdown kicks off today, Saturday September 30th, at 3:30 p.m. ET on Peacock. Keep reading for how to watch and key storylines for the game.
Illinois
The Illini enter Week 5 at 2-2 overall on the season, with one-possession wins over Toledo and Florida Atlantic and a pair of losses against ranked opponents in Kansas and Penn State.
After posting a strong 8-5 record last year — their first winning season since 2011 — the Illini are still recovering from some offseason departures by a few key contributors. Quarterback transfer Luke Altmyer has had his ups and downs — with a bit more of the latter — filling in for Tommy DeVito, who left for the NFL after last season along with running back Chase Brown and cornerback Devon Witherspoon.
Isaiah Williams is doing his part to fill the offensive void, ranking first in the conference with 24 receptions and second with 333 yards in the season’s early going. His best game of the season came last week against FAU, when he hauled in eight catches for 120 yards, both season-highs.
“He makes me look better every single game,” Altmyer said of Williams, per the Illini Inquirer. “He’s a special talent, special player and a special leader for this team, the way he helps the players around him grow in so many different facets of the game. I try to just get him the ball as much as I can, and he makes the play no doubt.”
Illini wide receivers coach George McDonald echoed the sentiment.
“He’s trending toward being one of the most dynamic players in the conference,” McDonald said. “He’s the definition of an impact player for us.”
Purdue
Perhaps the biggest storyline from Saturday’s Week 5 matchup relates more to the personnel off the field than the talent on it. Purdue head coach Ryan Walters is in Year 1 with the Boilermakers after spending the previous two seasons as Illinois’s defensive coordinator. With him on the short journey from Champaign to West Lafayette, Walters brought now-Purdue defensive coordinator Kevin Kane, plus three more assistants.
The coaching overhaul hasn’t yielded immediate results of the type Purdue was seeking. Its defense has allowed 32.3 points per game this season, last in the Big Ten — behind Illinois’s second-to-last 27.3 clip. The two teams also rank in the bottom two of the Big Ten in yards allowed per game, with Illinois last and Purdue second-to-last.
“It’s frustrating, but it’s also encouraging from the standpoint that I feel like we’re right there,” Walters said after a 38-17 Week 4 loss to Wisconsin of the defensive struggles, per The Indianapolis Star. “I feel like we’re really close to playing that style of football and for it looking the way that we’ve all envisioned it looking.
“I’ve got to figure out what I’m missing in terms of the schedule and how we’re preparing, and what I’m missing that’s not allowing us to start fast in big games.”
As for the offensive side of the ball, Purdue is led by redshirt junior quarterback Hudson Card, who’s thrown for over 257 yards per game with three touchdowns and three interceptions in total. His favorite two targets are Deion Burks (15 receptions for 294 yards) and Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen (22 receptions for 280 yards).
The Purdue Cannon Trophy
The Purdue Cannon, awarded annually to the Illinois-Purdue victor, has gone to the Boilermakers three years in a row, but the all-time margin is tight: Illinois trails by just two games, with 47 wins for Purdue and 45 for Illinois. The Illini’s last three wins have come in West Lafayette, a trend they’ll be looking to continue on Saturday.
How to watch the Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Purdue Boilermakers
- When: Today, Saturday, September 30
- Where: Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana
- Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- Watch: Peacock
How can I watch Big Ten on Peacock?
The Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Purdue Boilermakers game will stream on Peacock. Sign up for Peacock here.
What devices support Peacock?
You can enjoy Peacock on a variety of devices.
View the full list of supported devices here.
NBC Sports’ Big Ten Football and primetime games announced to date:
*All times EST
| Sat. Sept. 2 | Noon | East Carolina at Michigan | Peacock |
| Sat., Sept. 2 | 7:30 p.m. | West Virginia at Penn State | NBC,Peacock |
| Sat., Sept. 9 | Noon | Delaware at Penn State | Peacock |
| Sat., Sept. 9 | 7:30 p.m. | Charlotte at Maryland | Peacock |
| Sat., Sept. 16 | 5:00 p.m. | Washington at Michigan State | Peacock |
| Sat., Sept. 16 | 7:30 p.m. | Syracuse at Purdue | NBC,Peacock |
| Sat., Sept. 23 | 3:30 p.m. | Maryland at Michigan State | NBC,Peacock |
| Sat., Sept. 23 | 7:30 p.m. | Ohio State at Notre Dame | NBC,Peacock |
| Sat., Sept. 30 | 3:30 p.m. | Illinois at Purdue | Peacock |
| Sat., Sept. 30 | 7:30 p.m. | Michigan State at Iowa | NBC,Peacock |
| Sat., Oct. 7 | 12:00 p.m. | Rutgers at Wisconsin | Peacock |
| Sat., Oct. 7 | 3:30 p.m. | Purdue at Iowa | Peacock |
| Sat., Oct. 7 | 7:30 p.m. | Michigan at Minnesota | NBC,Peacock |
| Sat., Oct. 14 | 7:30 p.m. | USC at Notre Dame | NBC,Peacock |
| Sat., Nov. 11 | 7:30 p.m. | Michigan State at Ohio State | NBC,Peacock |
| Fri., Nov. 24 | 7:30 p.m. | Penn State at Michigan State (Ford Field) | NBC,Peacock |
The remaining NBC Sports’ Big Ten Football games will be announced during the season.
