CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — After their first bye week of the season, the No. 23 Illini are faced with a tall task in heading to the West Coast to take on the Washington Huskies.
Playing in Seattle, at Husky Stadium,
has been historically difficult for opposing teams. Over the past three years, the Huskies have thrived at home, going 21-3 over that span.
Even though they’re entering a testy environment on Saturday, Illinois defensive back Tanner Heckel stressed that the team is just focusing on what they can control.
“They got a good stadium and a good crowd, but we go in there thinking about us and how we can play,” Heckel said. “Outside factors aren’t a big deal.”
Entering Saturday’s game, the Huskies hold an identical record to the Illini, sitting at 5-2.
For both teams, their losses have come against some of the best teams in the country, with all four combined losses coming from teams in the AP Poll Top-25.
The two teams share a common opponent in the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes, while the Huskies lost to the No. 25 Michigan Wolverines last weekend, and the Illini lost to the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers earlier this year.
One of the players who’s been responsible for Washington’s early success is their quarterback, sophomore Demond Williams.
As the focal point of the Husky offense, Williams has put up some impressive stats through seven games.
He’s thrown for 1,837 yards and 10 touchdowns, while also being a consistent threat on the ground, with 363 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
When asked about what’s key when going against a talented QB like Williams, Illinois linebacker Daniel Brown said that it’s all about trusting your preparation.
“Quarterback like that, he’s very talented and elusive,” Brown said. “We just trust in Coach B’s game plan, trust in the game plan and go from there.”
Whether Williams is looking to move around the pocket to buy time or scramble out for extra yards, Brown also stressed that it’s important to keep him contained.
He’ll look to do so alongside guys like Illinois linebacker Gabe Jacas, who’s been a nightmare for quarterbacks all season long, recording 4.5 sacks and forcing two fumbles.
As it stands, the game has major implications for the remainder of the season for the Illini.
It will likely be the final game on Illinois’ schedule where they’ll be entering as underdogs, and a win could pay dividends in terms of keeping any College Football Playoff hopes alive.
However, for this Illini team, their mantra stays the same.
They’re not worried about the rest of the season, it’s all about taking things one game at a time.
“I’m just trying to think about this game and this game only, just cause we’re trying to go 1-0 every week,” Brown said. “If you start looking ahead at other things, it’s not gonna get you nowhere, I’m not trying to look at the end of the season, the playoffs, none of that.”
