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GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 6 • 11 BY GOLD AND BLACK STAFF S ophomore Wes Lunt is expect- ed to return after missing last week's game against Nebraska after suffering a knee injury the week be- fore against Texas State. Lunt, an Oklahoma State trans- fer, was off to a great start before suffering the injury. He threw for 1,237 yards (ninth-most in FBS) and 11 touchdowns (eighth-most in FBS) during his first four games and still leads the Big Ten at 309.2 pass- ing yards per game. His big arm dramatically im- proved the Illini's vertical passing game with 10 pass plays of 30-plus yards and two more than 60 yards. The Rochester, Ill., native com- pleted 1-of-3 passes for 12 yards against Purdue for Oklahoma State in the 2013 Heart of Dallas Bowl. PRIME OPPORTUNITY Purdue has an opportunity to rebound from an anemic offensive performance against the worst defense in the Big Ten statistically. Illinois ranks last in the conference in scoring defense (35.0) and total defense (468.6). The Illini have struggled against the run in particular, allowing a Big- Ten-worst 229.6 yards per game, 29 yards more than anyone else. Four of Illinois' first five op- ponents have had a 100-yard rusher and the lone excep- tion, Washington, had four ball- carriers gain at least 46 yards. COMEBACK KIDS The Illini needed to rally in the fourth quarter for all three of their victories this season. Lunt threw three fourth-quar- ter touchdowns to dig the Il- lini out of a 9-7 hole to defeat Youngstown State 28-17 in the season opener. The Illini scored 17 consecutive points to over- come a 27-21 deficit vs. Western Kentucky and emerge victorious 42-34. Texas State led Illinois 21-6 in the second quarter and 28-25 entering the fourth quarter be- fore a Lunt touchdown pass and a V'Angelo Bentley pick-six helped Illinois escape with a 42-35 win. Illinois' three fourth-quarter comeback wins are the most it's had in a season since 2001 when it had three comeback wins during in its Big Ten championship run. DUAL-THREAT Josh Ferguson gives Illinois one of the best pass-catching running backs in the country. Ferguson ranked second in the FBS in receiving yards per game by a running back last season with 44.6 while finishing second on the team in catches (50) and receiving yards (535). While Lunt has done a better job of getting Illinois' receivers in- volved within the offense, Ferguson has still made an impact in the pass- ing game with 15 catches for 154 yards and two touchdowns. Ferguson, who splits carries with Donovonn Young, has car- ried 61 times for 377 yards and four touchdown. The junior is one of only five FBS running backs with over 300 rushing yards and 150 receiving yards on the season. HISTORICALLY SPEAKING Being an underdog on the road in the Big Ten isn't easy for anyone. So it is not surprising that the Boil- ermakers have won just three times since 2009 when it has been picked by the "experts" to lose in a road league stadium. Coach Danny Hope was ac- tually pretty good at it, winning three times in four sea- sons in West Lafayette, at Michigan in 2009, Northwestern in 2010 and Iowa in 2012. Be- fore then, the last time was 2006 when Coach Joe Tiller 's team pulled minor upsets in wins at Michigan State and Illinois. But the Boiler- makers were just a field goal underdog in each of those contests. But in none of the five games mentioned above were the Boil- ermakers as big of an underdog as they are expected to be on Sat- urday at Illinois (10 points). In the 2010 win at Northwest- ern, Purdue was an 8.5-point road 'dog. But freshman quarterback Rob Henry was a little too much for the Wildcats, who were ranked in the coaches' poll at No. 24. In Memorial Stadium, the Boil- ermakers and Illini have had some close games. The Boilermakers' 38-31 over- time loss in 2002 is still being talked about for its controversial finish. In that game, Purdue rallied from a 24-0 deficit with 31 unanswered points and looked to have the great- est comeback in its football history secured. But the Illini scored with 3 seconds left to force overtime. Yet on the last play of regulation, back- up quarterback Kyle Orton hit John Standeford on a 52-yard Hail Mary pass, but Standeford was ruled out at the Illini 1-yard line as time ex- pired, though there seemed like strong video evidence that Stand- eford scored. The Boilermakers pulled out hard-fought wins in 2004, 2006 and 2012, coming from nine points down to win in 2006. j What You Need To Know About Illinois Tom Campbell Ralph Bolden winces in pain at the tail end of a 63-yard run late in the third quarter of the 2012 game, Purdue's most recent appearance in Memorial Stadium. Bolden would have easily made it the final 15 yards to the end zone had he not sustained a leg injury. The play helped Purdue to a 20-10 lead en route to a 20-17 victory. Lunt Likes The Big Play THE LAST TIME...