Next up is a date in Madison, Wisconsin, at Camp Randal Stadium, Saturday, 6:30 p.m., on BTN vs. the 3-7 Wisconsin Badgers. The Illini are 7-3, but 2-2 on the road.
Last Saturday, the Illini handled the Maryland
Terrapins 24-6 for their second win in a row after two straight losses. They also have cracked the CFP rankings at #21. Some high points from that game were:
- Hudson Clement had his second game in a row with at least one TD. He had three catches for 72 yards and 2 TDs.
- The Illini D-Line knocked down four passes. The secondary got its first interception since the Duke game.
- Luke Altmyer had his third 45+ yard rushing game in a row, rushing for 62 yards on 11 carries. In all, the Illini rushed for 225 yards (the third time this season they topped 200).
- Kaden Feagin led the rushing 81 yards on 14 carries with a touchdown.
- The victory makes the Illini 7-3 on the season and 4-3 in the Big Ten. Two more wins would give them back-to-back 9-win regular season records for the first time in school history. If they continue to play the way they are, there is no reason they can’t be 9-3. Getting by the Badgers will be the first item of business.
Wisconsin comes in at 3-7 overall and 1-6 in conference.
Their lone win was at home against Washington two weeks ago. They are touchdown underdogs at home vs. Illinois.
By the numbers, Illinois could see back-to-back games in which it holds opponents to zero TDs.
Wisconsin is 135th in scoring offense (12 pts per game) and total yards per game (246.8 yards per game) The Badgers have had a massive issue at QB. In the win over Washington, they used three different QBs, and punter Sean West was the leading passer; he threw one pass for 24 yards on a fake punt. Last week against Indiana, freshman Carter Smith was 9-of-15 for 98 yards, one TD, and one interception. As a team, Wisconsin only throws for 136.3 yards per game (131st in FBS). TE Lance Mason is the Badgers’ leading receiver 24 catches for 326 yards and four TDs.
Running the ball has not been easy for Wisconsin, but freshman Dillon Jones has shown promise with 76 attempts for 300 yards and two TDs. Reports say he is a shifty, sneaky runner who can make tacklers miss in space, but he is young and still developing.
Defensively, Wisconsin only gives up 228 passing yards and 108 rushing yards per game. They have 26 sacks and 55 tackles for Loss, on the season. They held a good Washington team to just 10 points, and a potent Oregon offense only garnered 21 points at home. But they also allowed Iowa to score 37 points.
The Illini are riding high!
As far as the Illini, the average is 245 passing yards (58th), 140 rushing yards (88th), and 32 points per game (39th). Defensively, the only real worry is passing defense. That may seem like a broken record, and they have made progress over the last two games. The reality is that while pass defense has been better, it has come against weaker opponents (Rutgers and Maryland). Illinois’ pass defense is still 110th, giving up 246.3 yards per game.
Offensively, Altmyer has only topped 200 yards passing once in his last three games but is still on track to pass last season’s numbers. last season, he was 211-347 for 2717 yards (209 per game), and 22 TDs. This season 195-282 for 2427 yards (242 yards per game), 21 TDs,
The running game topped 200 yards vs Rutgers and Maryland. Kayden Feagin and Ca’Lil Valentine, alternating in the backfield, combined for 208 yards in those games. Altmyer has also been a large part of that, gaining 150 yards running the ball in the last two games to give him a net yardage of 170 yards rushing for the season.
Collin Dixon has had three TDs in the last four games, and Hudson Clement has had three TDs in his last two games. Hank Beatty is still the favorite target, averaging 75 receiving yards per game.
In short, the Illini offense is clicking. The defense, while improving in the last couple of games, still has question marks to me. The pass defense has picked up its game since the Washington game. With 18 passes deflected (more passes deflected than the first 8 games combined), the pass rush has returned somewhat, with three sacks and three QB hurries in the last two games (they had zero of each vs. Ohio State and Washington). The secondary is still sluggish, as only 8 of the 18 passes broken up in the last two games were by the Secondary. This will probably not be an issue vs Wisconsin, but itis still a weak point in the Illini armor.
After Saturday, the Illini will be 8-3, 5-3 in the B1G. I think we will see another 200-yard rushing game and the defense could post another touchdown-less game. I think we see a score of 37-9.
