Another great preview from Bob Green!
Duke (1-0) hosts #11 Illinois (1-0) on Saturday September 6 at 12 noon in a highly anticipated non-conference showdown. Both teams are coming off Week 1 wins over FCS opponents. Duke beat Elon 45-17, while Illinois beat Western Illinois 52-3. Illinois is favored by 2.5 points. Television coverage will be provided by ESPN.
Illinois returns 16 starters from last season’s 10-win squad and is in the early discussion of teams capable to make the College Football Playoff.
In Monday’s press conference discussing Illinois, Duke Head Coach Manny Diaz stated “[w]hen you watch them on film, in all three phases they just know who they are, they know what they are doing, they have the answers to whatever it is you are going to try against them.”
Offense: The Fighting Illini offense is led by quarterback Luke Altmyer who passed for 2,717 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2024. Altmyer is a three-year starter who projects as a 3rd or 4th round draft pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. In the opener against Western Illinois, Altmyer was 17/21 for 217 yards and three touchdowns.
The question mark for the offense is at wide receiver. Last season’s leading receivers, Pat Bryant (54 receptions/984 yards/10 touchdowns) and Zakhari Franklin (55 receptions/652 yards/4 touchdowns), are gone to the NFL. West Virginia transfer Hudson Clement might be the answer. Clement recorded 51 receptions for 741 yards and 5 touchdowns last year in Morgantown. However, in the season opener, leading receivers were Hank Beatty (5 receptions/108 yards) and Justin Bowick (3 receptions/23 yards/2 touchdowns).
Hank Beatty also had 133 punt return yards in the season opener including a 69-yard touchdown return.
The running back room is led by Aidan Laughery and Kaden Feagin. Laughery rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns in the opening season win while Feagin rushed for 74 yards and one touchdown. The Fighting Illini averaged 5.64 yards per carry.
Last, but not least, the offensive line returns all five starters from 2024. Football games are won or lost in the trenches so Illinois offense has a solid base. Starting left tackle J.C. Davis has been limited in practice due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot but he returned to full practice ahead of the Illini season opener against Western Illinois.
Defense: Illinois runs a 3-3-5 defense. The two outside linebackers actually line up on the line-of-scrimmage resulting in the front six being aligned 5-1 at the snap of the ball. Outside Linebacker Gabe Jacas (74 tackles/13 tackles for loss/8 sacks) is the leader. Jacas is powerful, a bull with the ability to both rush the passer and blow-up running lanes. Matthew Bailey played the fifth DB position and was the team’s leading tackler in 2024.
Duke Offensive Coordinator Jonathan Brewer, talking about the Illinois defense, stated “[t]hese guys believe in what they do. They are sound in what they do. It’s been a very interesting game plan chess match for us to try to figure out how we can use our guys to attack them.”
The defensive line is anchored by three experienced transfers Illinois acquired via the portal. Defensive end James Thompson Jr. and nose tackle Curt Neal are transfers from Wisconsin, while defensive end Tomiwa Durojaiye came from Florida State.
The secondary is manned by experienced cornerbacks Torrie Cox and Kaleb Patterson. Senior nickelback Xavier Scott was the team’s interception leader a year ago.
Illinois defense is tough against the run so this game could come down to a showdown between the Fighting Illini defensive line / secondary and the Blue Devils talented passing game.
Prediction: Illinois’ path to the College Football Playoff hits a speed bump in Durham due to the opportunistic Blue Devils defense ending multiple Fighting Illini drives with either a sack or a turnover. Duke 24, Illinois 21.
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