Duke gave Illinois all it wanted in the first half last week before succumbing to the boys from Champaign. The Illini dominated the second half in a 45-19 win on the road. Now it is one final non-conference test before the Big Ten season gets underway in Bloomington, Indiana. Illinois looked out of sync in the first half, committing penalties, and the O-Line seemed unprepared for the veracity of the Blue Devil defense. The D-Line appeared to have issues penetrating the Seasoned Duke O-Line on the first drive,
allowing Duke a first possession field goal. It was a muffed punt by Duke that led to the first Illini TD. The offense struggled to run the ball but steadily adjusted as the defense stepped up and took control, allowing the offense to wear down Duke down.
Who is Western Michigan?
Western Michigan is out of the MAC, where they went 6-6 last season, and is considered to be rebuilding under third-year coach Lance Taylor. The Mustangs are 0-2 so far this season, losing to Michigan State 23-6 and to North Texas State 33-30 in OT. The Mustangs have been running a platoon situation at QB with Brady Jones and Broc Lowery. Lowery seems to be edging ahead, but with very bland results, as neither QB has thrown for more than 166 yards in two games and only connected for 1 TD. Leading rusher Jalen Buckley has 133 yards in 39 carries, no TDs. He does have the team’s only receiving TD. QB Broc Lowery has the only two rushing TDs in 16 carries for 85 yards. Defensively, they are adequate against the pass, but both MSU and NTS rushed for over 180 yards. Western Michigan and Illinois do have a six-game history, with Illinois coming out on top 4-2. The last game played in Champaign, the Illini were beaten 34-10 on September 17, 2016. *A little side note, Bill Cubit, former U of I assistant coach 2013-2014 and head coach 2015, was the Head Coach at Western Michigan between 2005 and 2012.
Luke Altmyer, who was 22-31 for 296 yards and three TDs vs Duke, could see a good day as the Mustangs have allowed an average of 200 passing yards per game. Also, they haven’t seen a QB like Altmyer. This could be the game that Hudson Clemente gets his feet under him and shows up. Look for Hank Beatty to expose the Mustangs Deep and Justin Bowick to expose the corners.
The rushing game should see plenty of opportunities as well. Adian Laughrey should have his third 100-yard game in a row, and Kaden Feagin should get numerous short-yardage opportunities. Look for Ca’Lil Valentine to get room on the outside to run. You could see Illinois with two 100-yard rushers in the game.
Defensively, the D-Line needs to make a statement, and this could be the game that does it. Gabe Jacas has 19 sacks and is fifth in career sacks at Illinois. I would look for him to move into a tie for fourth or even third spot. He sits four sacks away from second on the list, Scott Davis (23). Simeon Rice is the career sacks leader with 44.5. Jacas is averaging 1.5 sacks per game; he is on pace for 19 sacks this season, which would eclipse the mark of 16 set by Whitney Mercilus in 2011.
This will be a game to fine-tune both offense and defense ahead of the Sept. 20 match-up at Indiana, which is currently No. 22. Then, a Sept. 27 date at home against a sneaky, scary USC team. Illinois needs to come out like a freight train and not let up. they can’t afford to have a sluggish start and ramp up. If that style becomes a trend, then teams like Indiana, USC, and Washington will make them pay.
If Illinois gets a big lead by half, which is likely, we could see more of Ethan Hampton and Jordan Anderson on offense and more of Joe Barna, James Kreutz, Tanner Heckel, Tyler Strain, and Kenenna Odeluga on defense. If they can get many of the reserves as many snaps as possible in this game, it could pay big dividends in the heavy part of the Big Ten season.
At the end of the day, the Illini are 27.5-point favorites, and if they come out to play, there is NO reason they can’t cover that spread.
See you later, GO ILLINI!
