Nobody expected the Purdue Boilermakers to ever have a lead over the Illinois Fighting Illini, but after the first quarter of the two teams' Big Ten matchup, they had just that.
After the first 15 minutes, Purdue led 7-0, and the Illinois offense looked as sluggish as it had all season. However, a second quarter that went 27-7 in the Fighting Illini's favor had fans and coaches backing away from the panic button.
At halftime, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema was extremely optimistic about his team's performance, despite the very slow start and inconsistent defense.