Scouting: Illinois @ Purdue

Illinois (1-5, 0-4) at Purdue (2-5, 1-2)

When: 11 a.m. Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium, West Lafayette IN

TV: ESPN2; Radio: WIND 560-AM

Series: Illinois leads 41-37-6

Coaches: Ron Zook (19-35, fifth year at Illinois; 42-49 overall); Danny Hope (2-5, first year at Purdue; 37-27 in sixth year overall)

Players to watch: Illinois' depleted defense should be without senior safety Donsay Hardeman, who injured a neck muscle last week against Indiana and was carted off the field for precautionary reasons. Juice Williams, if given the start, will eclipse Kurt Kittner (39) for most starts by an Illini QB. Juice also needs 74 total yards to pass Purdue/Denver Broncos QB Kyle Orton (9,653 yards) for sixth place on the Big Ten's all-time list. RB Mikel Leshoure (ankle) should be ready after rushing 12 times for 78 yards at Indiana.

In the wake of Indiana's 333-yard, 3-TD performance through the air last week, it's not a good week to face Purdue. QB Joey Elliott leads the Big Ten in total offense (287.7 ypg) and WR Keith Smith ranks fifth nationally in catches (54) and 11th in yards (710). Junior DE Ryan Kerrigan paces the league with 7 sacks while LB Jason Werner owns 14 tackles for loss.

The skinny: Remember when Illinois stunned No. 1 Ohio State two years ago? That victory made the Illini think differently about themselves - albeit 180 degrees from their mindset today. Purdue's 26-18 upset of the No. 7 Buckeyes last week ought to have the same effect on the Boilers. Actually, the Boilers were probably a decent team before that win. They suffered close losses to Oregon (2 points), Notre Dame (3 points), Northwestern (6 points) and Northern Illinois (7 points). Look for Illini coach Ron Zook to alternate senior Juice Williams and redshirt freshman Jacob Charest, who's a more conventional option at quarterback, in an effort to throw off Purdue's defense.