Editors Note: The Daily Illini sports desk interviewed Purdue Exponent sports editor Conner Klotz ahead of the matchup between the Boilermakers and the Illini. 

The Daily Illini: Who should Illini fans look out for on the Purdue offense?

Conner Klotz: Two weeks ago, I would’ve written that Illinois fans should be aware of the magical Jeff Brohm offense in general, but the fairy dust has worn off. The athletes just aren’t there to make his system work, yet. The most consistent threat on offense is the stable of running backs the Boilers have built up. DJ Knox and Richie Worship are both power backs who can do damage running between the tackles and on kick returns. Tario Fuller has been hurt the last few weeks but is expected to get snaps this weekend. He was the team’s leading rusher before he went out. Markell Jones is as well-rounded a threat there is on the team as he can run between the tackles, get to the edge and is a receiving threat out of the backfield. They haven’t gotten the touches they deserve, but that is changing. If the running backs collectively have a good game, expect a tough time for the Illinois defense.

DI: Who should Illini fans look out for on the Purdue defense?

CK: I’ll give two names for this one. On the defensive line, senior Gelen Robinson is becoming a star. After playing DE for his entire career, he moved in to DT this season. Last week against Nebraska, he collected 5.5 tackles for loss. He’s been all over the place this season, one of the more consistent players on the entire team. Senior linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley is the best player on the entire team and is the leader of the strongest position group on the team. Bentley is an animal. He’s a run-stuffer and can drop into coverage, best exhibited by his 76-yard pick-6 to seal a win over Minnesota. He can do everything, which is good because the defense needs him to do so.

DI: Both Illinois and Purdue run a two quarterback system. How is that going for Purdue?

CK: Up until last week, Purdue ran an unorthodox two quarterback system. It was unorthodox in the respect that both quarterbacks were very similar. Most two QB systems feature a pocket passer and a dual-threat quarterback, but Purdue’s has two pocket passers. However, it seems that Purdue’s days running that system are over. Early this week, Jeff Brohm announced that junior David Blough has finally won the job over sophomore Elijah Sindelar. Brohm has been adamant that his quarterbacks make stronger use of their legs in the recent weeks, and Blough’s slightly better mobility was apparently enough to push him over the edge.

DI: How is Jeff Brohm doing over there?

CK: Overall, Jeff Brohm is off to a solid start. This team is playing harder than any in the past decade, and it’s easy to see why players want to play for Brohm (see videos of throwing chairs). However, the Boilers have stumbled in recent weeks, losing to both Rutgers and Nebraska, fighting through offensive struggles that Jeff Brohm teams are not accustomed to facing. The scheme is solid, and for the most part the play calling has been solid. The only thing missing is the athletes to thrive within the Jeff Brohm system, and quite frankly, Purdue doesn’t have those guys. Until Brohm gets his own class of recruits to Purdue, his offense will hamstrung.

DI: Game prediction: score and rationale?

CK: I think the Boilers will win this game, semi-comfortably. Then again, I thought that the past two weeks as well. I’ll take the Boilers, 24-14.