On Saturday evening, the non -conference part of the Illinois calendar ended. The Illini made a perfect 3-0 at the Gies Memorial Stadium, beating Western Michigan 38-0. They won each match on average 37 points. However, the scores do not tell the story. In the last two games in Duke and against WMU, he had the impression that the Illini lacked energy and emergency.
Against Duke on the road, they seemed shocked by the aggressiveness displayed by the Blue Devils. Without a shot of clearing in first half, the Illinois could have dragged at halftime. An early penalty and another choke of muffled clearance allowed the Illinois to withdraw in the second half. Now I think Duke is an underestimated program, but not so much.
Last weekend, against WMU, the Illini offensive did not seem to have no fire or an emergency. Defense played well, but also seemed to have no enthusiasm. They had no take -out meals after obtaining five the previous week in Duke. Again, if not for a missed basket and a fourth and an unsuccessful goal of the three, it could have been a very different match at halftime. In both games, adjustments were made and the Illini took care of. Now, when it works against Duke and WMU, how will it play against Indiana, Ohio State, USC and Washington? The Illinois played these four teams in the first 5 games of the Big Ten.
Many people were skeptical about the composition of line D. The three transfers, James Thompson, Tomiwa Durojaiye and Curt Neal, did not have the desired impact. They have half the plated on line D 16 of 32, 2.25 of 5.5 TFL, and only one of the four bags. The defense as a whole has only 20 TFL and 10 bags.
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The offensive has also been slow to start the West of Illinois match, where they scored 31 points in the first half. Line O seemed to be a step or two in the first stadiums of the game. It is almost as if they were reacting to the defense instead of responding to the defense. Now, the defense was better against western Michigan, which was obvious in the fourth position and the goal at the end of the first half, but they failed to get a single take-out match after obtaining five against Duke.
But now, that’s where rubber meets the road. The Illini will most likely face three teams classified in the next four games: Indiana, currently n ° 22, USC, currently n ° 25 and Ohio State, currently n ° 1. Slow starting against teams like western Michigan and even Duke are not harmful, because they are teams that do not correspond to a talent prospect for the Ellinois team of this year. However, this will not be the case from now on.
Indiana has so far played a trio of cupcakes, upgrading the opponents 156-23. QB Fernando Mendoza launched 700 yards with nine tds. Regarding the damage, they have three backs on average more than 60 yards per game. Defensively, they have 33 TFL, eight bags and four choices. Currently, the Hoosiers are favored by 4.5 points at home.
After that, the USC, which can also be a great opponent with QB Jayden Maiava, 898 yards and 6 TDS, RB Jordan Waymond with an average of more than 95 yards on the ground. Hey, also has two other backs on average 50 meters or more. Defensively, they have 31 TFL, 14 bags and six choices.
They get a “break” with Purdue before playing Ohio State. Buckeyes also have a very robust offense with the first year QB Julian Savin (779 yards, eight affected) and RB bo jackson on average 108 yards on the ground and five affected. Defense at a glance is not as difficult as that of Indiana and USC, but it is a defense that has 17 TFL, seven bags and two choices.
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In the next games, the Illini will have to eliminate the penalties, the D-Line will have to tilt its neck and stiffen. The offense will also have to move the ball and try to win not only the battle in the trenches but also the moment of possession. If the Ellini wins at Indiana – and I think they can – they are very good at a very good chance of being 6-0 when they face the Ohio State, but let’s take it at a time.
