Illinois Coach Bret Bielema Placing High Emphasis on Cannon Game vs. Purdue
Bret Bielema is tired of looking at an empty trophy case. Luckily for him, Illinois will get the chance to fill one of the vacancies this weekend when the Fighting Illini host Purdue in the battle for the Purdue Cannon.
Bielema has not yet defeated Purdue since taking over in Champaign in 2021. The Boilermakers have won each of the last four meetings, including a dominant 44-19 victory in 2023. That marked the first game between Purdue coach Ryan Walters and his former boss.
Walters was the defensive coordinator at Illinois from 2021-22 before taking the job at Purdue in 2023.
"We've got an empty trophy case, and that's the message to our guys," Bielema said during his weekly press conference. "We're guaranteed two games every year — Northwestern and Purdue. Both are trophy games. Those didn't come by chance.
"I've never seen it, touched it, felt it, smelt it. I've never been able to hold that cannon. So, until it's in our hands, all we can do is talk about it and see pictures of it."
Although Purdue has dominated the head-to-head series recently, winning seven of the last eight and 15 of the last 19 matchups, Illinois will enter this weekend's matchup with the better team.
The Fighting Illini are ranked No. 23 nationally and own a 4-1 record. The only loss came to Penn State on the road, falling 21-7 at Beaver Stadium.
Purdue, on the other hand, has endured some serious struggles so far. The Boilermakers are 1-4 and have been outscored 46-11 in four games against FBS opponents. Their lone win came against Indiana State in the opener.
Will Bielema finally get a chance to hold the Purdue Cannon? Or will the Boilermakers deliver the best performance of the season and escape Memorial Stadium with a win?
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET and the game airs on Fox Sports 1.
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