GAME 9: ILLINOIS (2-6, 0-5) at Purdue (3-5, 1-4)
When	Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017 | Noon ET/11 am CT
Where	Ross-Ade Stadium | West Lafayette, Ind. | Seating Map
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OPENING KICK

• Battle for the Cannon: The Fighting Illini (2-6 overall, 0-5 B1G West) travel to Purdue (3-5 overall, 1-4 B1G West) to battle for the Cannon rivalry trophy this Saturday in West Lafayette (Noon ET/11 am CT on BTN).

• Punching It Out: The Illini have forced 13 fumbles this season to lead the nation in forced fumbles per game (1.83) along with Tennessee, Memphis and Nevada. Three Illini have forced two fumbles each – DB Stanley Green, DB Patrick Nelson and DL James Crawford, all tied for 31st in FBS.

• Fresh Faces: Youth has been all over the field this season. In fact, the Illini are putting the youngest team in the nation on the field. 

        » Illinois has started more true freshmen than any team in the nation (15): DB Tony Adams, RB Ra'Von Bonner, OL Larry Boyd, DB Dawson DeGroot, TE Louis Dorsey, RB Mike Epstein, DL Isaiah Gay, DB Nate Hobbs, LB James Knight, OL Vederian Lowe, OL Alex Palczewski, DL Bobby Roundtree, WR Ricky Smalling, DB Bennett Williams and DL Jamal Woods. Baylor is second with 10 true-freshmen starters. No other team in the Big Ten has four or more.

        » Illinois has 60 cumulative starts from true freshmen this season, far surpassing the previous program record.  Most cumulative true freshmen starts in a season: 60 (2017), 34 (1977), 33 (2006)

        » Illinois has played 22 true freshmen, the most in the nation. LSU is second with 20 and Texas A&M is third with 18. An additional 10 redshirt-freshmen have played this year, brining the overall Illini freshmen played total to 32. 

        » The 10 true freshmen starters at USF in week three are the most in a single game in program history. Prior to this season, the most true freshmen to start at Illinois in a SEASON was nine in 1980. 

        » 11 of Illinois' 14 offensive touchdowns (78.6 percent) have been scored by true freshmen, including nine of the last 10. Freshman touchdowns have been scored by Ra'Von Bonner (4), Mike Epstein (4), Ricky Smalling (2) and Louis Dorsey (1). 

        » Illinois had 27 first-time starters in the first eight games, the most in the nation. Baylor is second with 25 and Ball State and Utah State are third with 23.

• Smalling Coming Up Big: Freshman WR Ricky Smalling has broken out for 14 catches, 208 yards and two touchdowns over the last three games, the first two TDs of his Illini career. 

        » Smalling's 16.04 yards per reception rank fifth in the Big Ten and third among all true freshmen in FBS.

        » Smalling became the sixth Illini true-freshman in program history to have a 100-yard receiving game with 5 cataches for 111 yards against Rutgers on Oct. 14.  

        » Leads the team with 369 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 23 catches. 

•  Dynamic WR Duo: The WR duo of senior Malik Turner and junior Mike Dudek has been models of consistency. Each has caught a pass in at least 20 straight games, something only one other pair of teammates can boast (Memphis' Phil Mayhue and Anthony Miller). Turner has a catch in 28 straight games, the 17th-longest streak in the nation, while Dudek has at least two catch in all 20 games he's played in during his Illini career. 

• QB Combo: Offensive coordinator Garrick McGee has untilized a two-QB system over the last two games. 

        » Sophomore Jeff George, Jr. completing 25 passes for 236 yards and one TD over the last two games. For the season, George has thrown for 1,001 yards and four touchdowns in five games.  

        » True-freshman Cam Thomas ranks third on the team with 157 yards rushing on 20 carries (7.8 ypc), having played in only the last two games. He made his Illini debut at Minnesota and led the team with 79 rushing yards on 10 carries. He followed that up with 78 yards on 10 carries against Wisconsin. 

• Next in Line: While Illini freshmen are playing all over the field, the offensive line is especially youth-oriented. An OL group of four freshmen and a junior  have started the last four games, paving the way for of the offensive improvement (352 ypg over last four games). The group includes true freshmen Larry Boyd, Vederian Lowe & Alex Palczewski, redshirt freshman Doug Kramer and junior Nick Allegretti. 

• Block Party: Illinois has three blocked kicks (two field goals and one PAT) through eight games to rank fifth in FBS and second in the Big Ten. Jamal Milan blocked the potential game-tying field goal as time expired in the win over Ball State and then the Illini got a pair of blocks at USF, a blocked field goal by Isaiah Gay and a blocked PAT by Tito Odenigbo that was returned by Nate Hobbs for a defensive PAT. 

• NFL Experience: Lovie Smith's Illini staff has 56 seasons of combined NFL head and assistant coach experience – the most in college football in 2017, ahead of UCLA (45), Michigan (40), Baylor (38) and Alabama (34).

BATTLE FOR THE CANNON

• This week, Illinois and Purdue will play for the coveted Cannon rivalry trophy. Purdue leads the traditional trophy series by a 34-28-2 mark (though Illinois leads the overall series 44-42-6). 

• The Boilermakers currently hold the Cannon after a 34-31 overtime win in Champaign last season. 

• The Cannon is one of three rivalry trophies the Illini play for along with the Illibuck (Ohio State) and the Land of Lincoln Trophy (Northwestern). 

• The Cannon, more accurately known as the Purdue Cannon, made its first trip to Champaign-Urbana in 1905 when a group of Purdue students brought it to fire after a Boilermaker victory. Purdue won the game, 29-0, but the Cannon was never fired. Illinois student Quincy Hall found the Cannon hidden near the old Illinois Field. Hall and a group of Delta Upsilon brothers confiscated the Cannon and held it until 1943, when they donated it as a symbol of the UI-Purdue rivalry. Tomahawk Service and Leadership honorary at Purdue and Illini Pride of Illinois maintain the trophy when the respective school has won it. The Cannon was last fired Nov. 4, 2001, at the Illinois football complex following the victory, but is no longer functional.

THE ILLINOIS-PURDUE SERIES

• Saturday marks the 93rd meeting between the Fighting Illini and the Boilermakers.

• Illinois leads the all-time series against Purdue 44-42-6. The series is tied 21-21-4 all-time in West Lafayette.

• Last season, Illinois fought back from a halftime deficit for a chance to win with three seconds left in a 31-31 game against Purdue in Champaign, but a last-second field goal hit the upright to force overtime. The Boilermakers capitalized with a 28-yard game-winning field goal to defeat the Fighting Illini 34-31. QB Chayce Crouch entered the game for an injured Wes Lunt and ran for 137 yards and two touchdowns and passed for another 142 yards. RB Reggie Corbin rushed for a career-best 92 yards and two touchdowns and WR Malik Turner had nine catches for 129 yards.

• In Illinois' last visit to West Lafayette, Illinois blew out Purdue 48-14 in 2015. Wes Lunt threw three first-half touchdowns, Ke'Shawn Vaughn finished with 16 carries for 180 yards, and Josh Ferguson added 12 rushes for 133 yards. Current Illini Malik Turner caught a 32-yard TD pass from Lunt in the first quarter and Kendrick Foster scored his first-career TD on an 18-yard run in the fourth quarter. 

• Mike Dudek set Illinois' freshman single-game receiving yards of 200 against Purdue 10/4/2014.

• David Williams set Illinois' single-game receptions record of 16 against Purdue 10/12/1985.

• Dan Beaver made the longest field goal in Illinois history (57 yards) against Purdue 10/18/1975.

• Lovie Smith vs. Purdue: 0-1; Jeff Brohm vs. Illinois: 0-0

PURDUE CONNECTIONS

• Illinois AD Josh Whitman grew up in West Lafayette, Indiana.

• Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm was the quarterbacks coach at Illinois from 2010-11. The Illini starting QB for Brohm's two seasons in Champaign was Nathan Scheelhaase, who is currently an offensive analyst for Illinois. 

• Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm was the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at UAB in 2012 when Illinois offensive coordinator Garrick McGee was UAB's head coach. 

• Purdue defensive line coach Reggie Johnson was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at UAB in 2012 when Illinois offensive coordinator Garrick McGee was UAB's head coach. 

• Purdue co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Nick Holt served the same position at USC during the 2007 season when Illinois faced the Trojans in the 2008 Rose Bowl. 

• Purdue has seven Illinois natives on its roster. Illinois has two Indiana natives on its roster (QB Jeff George Jr., OL Adam Solomon). 

• Illini QB Jeff George Jr.'s father, Jeff George Sr., played at both Purdue (1986) and Illinois (1988 & '89) before being drafted No. 1 overall by the Indianapolis Colts in the 1990 NFL Draft. 

FIRST TIMERS

• Illinois has used 27 first-time starters in 2017, the most in the nation ahead of Baylor (23) and Ball State (22). Last year's Illini team led the nation with 28 first-time starters.

• Illinois had 10 first-time starters in the opener - six on defense (S Bennett Williams, CB Tony Adams, DE Bobby Roundtree, DT Tymir Oliver, DE Sean Adesanya, LB Del'Shawn Phillips) and four on offense, including three offensive linemen (WR Dominic Thieman, OL Doug Kramer, OL Zeke Martin, OL Adam Solomon) 

• There have been 17 more first-time starters since the opener (RB Ra'Von Bonner, OL Larry Boyd, TE Louis Dorsey, DB Dawson DeGroot, RB Mike Epstein, DL Isaiah Gay, LB Dele Harding, DB Nate Hobbs, LB James Knight, OL Vederian Lowe, LB Jimmy Marchese, TE Henry McGrew, OL Alex Palczewski, RB Austin Roberts, DL Bobby Roundtree, LB Ayo Shogbonyo, WR Ricky Smalling, DL Jamal Woods)

FRESHMEN STARTERS SINGLE-GAME NOTES

• Illinois is playing and starting freshmen like never before in program history. 

        » Cumulative true freshmen starts in a season: 60 (2017), 34 (1977), 33 (2006)

        » 2017 Freshman Starters by Game: 3, 7, 10, 8, 8, 9, 8, 7 (program record before this season: 5)

• Prior to this season, the high for most true freshmen started in a game at Illinois was five, which last happened Nov. 11, 2006. This Illini have started more true-freshmen than that in each of the last seven games.

• Illinois started four freshmen on the offensive line (three true freshmen, one redshirt freshman) in each of the last four games, the only four times in program history (T Larry Boyd, G Alex Palczewski, T Vederian Lowe + redshirt freshman Doug Kramer).

• Illinois' 15 true freshmen starters this season is not only the most of any team in the nation, but also is a program record. The previous high for a season was nine in 1980.

• DE Isaiah Gay is the third-youngest player to start a game in FBS this season behind Duke DE Victor Dimukeje and Old Dominion QB Steve Williams. Gay turned 18 on Sept. 17. Those three are the only players to start in FBS as 17-year olds this season.

YOUTH GONE WILD

• Out of 103 total players on the roster there are just 10 total seniors, tied for the third-least in FBS – Georgia Southern (8) and Wake Forest (9). 

• Only 27 total upperclassmen are on the roster – 10 seniors (8 scholarship seniors) and 17 juniors

• In contrast, there are 76 underclassmen – 22 sophomores and 54 freshmen (35 true-freshmen & 19 RS freshmen)

• Out of 103 players on the 2017 roster, 43 are newcomers

» Complete Illinois-Purdue Game Notes (PDF)