College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Illinois Fighting Illini season with what you need to know.
CFN in 60 Podcast: 2020 Illinois Fighting Illini
2020 Illinois preview in 30 seconds
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Illinois Previews 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2019 Record: 6-7 overall, 4-5 in Big Ten
Head Coach: Lovie Smith, 5th year, 15-34 overall
2019 CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 50
2019 CFN Final Season Formula Ranking: 69
2019 CFN Preview Ranking: 65
NOTE: Obviously, no one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.
5. College Football News Preview 2020: Illinois Fighting Illini Offense 3 Things To Know
– The Illinois offense wasn’t exactly a smoothly run organization. The running game was okay at times, and the passing attack came through late when it had to in a few huge upsets, but for the most part, it was a struggle.
The Illini finished 112th in the nation in total offense, but it made the yards count with a not-awful 26.7 points per game. However, the O almost never had the ball – long, sustained drives were a rumor – and the attack fell flat late in the season.
There’s hope for a boost, though, with four starters back on what should be a good line, a deep group of quarterbacks to play around with, and with almost all of the key targets back. It all starts with …
CFN in 60 Video: Illinois Fighting Illini Preview
– The quarterback situation. It would’ve been nice to have had a full offseason of practices to come up with a good pecking order, but at least there’s a nice group of options in place.
Former Michigan transfer Brandon Peters was okay last season, but the accuracy wasn’t there and he didn’t do enough to move the chains. Former super-recruit Isaiah Williams got his feet wet, but he only played in four games to preserve his four years of eligibility. Sophomore Matt Robinson stepped in when Peters got hurt.
The receiving corps is there to do a whole lot more, starting with senior Joel Imaorbhebhe – a former USC transfer with next-level upside. In all, five of the top seven targets are expected back, former Miami Hurricanes Brian Hightower should be a factor, former Georgia super-recruit Luke Ford will get his shot at tight end, and the passing game should be more consistent.
– The offensive line didn’t do enough in pass protection, and the running game was just okay, but there’s a lot to like if the all-star parts can stay healthy. Four starters return with at least two years of starting experience – junior Kendrick Green is growing into a star at guard, and center Doug Kramer is strong – and now this has to be a plus.
Top running back Reggie Corbin left early for the NFL – and went undrafted – and No. 2 guy Dre Brown is done, too. Ra’Von Bonner has seen enough work to get the early call, and 2017 leading rusher Mike Epstein is back after an injury-plagued few seasons. Star recruit Reggie Love might have the door wide open right away for his services.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Illinois Fighting Illini Defense 3 Things To Know
4. College Football News Preview 2020: Illinois Fighting Illini Defense 3 Things To Know
– It’s been one of the stranger disappointments in the Lovie Smith era. He’s an elite defensive football coach who crafted some killers in the NFL, and yet he hasn’t been anything special at Illinois. It’s his D – he’s the coordinator – and it’s been great at forcing takeaways and getting into the backfield – but it’s been blasted too easily against the run and it’s been way too inconsistent overall.
– Leading tackler Dele Harding is done, but hitting-machine Jake Hansen is back after missing most of the back half of the year hurt. Combine him with former Washington transfer Milo Eifer, and the Illini have a terrific linebacking duo the work around. The defensive front, though, has holes to fill with Oluwole Betiku bolting early for the NFL and with the tackle situation a bit thin.
– The top three options on the inside of the line are done, and finding more pass rushing help on the outside has to come from somewhere. For what seems like the 19th year in a row, Illinois is going young up front, but the pass rush will be there in time. The key is to keep the good linebackers is relatively clean.
The secondary did its job and should be a plus again, starting with big-hitting safety Sydney Brown along with a veteran corner tandem of Tony Adams and Nate Hobbs. Combine this group with the solid linebacking corps, and this should be the best defensive back seven in the Lovie Smith era.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Top Illinois Fighting Illini Players
College Football News Preview 2020: Top Illinois Fighting Illini Players
Best Illinois Fighting Illini Offensive Player
WR Josh Imatorbhebhe, Sr.
The 6-2, 215-pound transfer from USC missed the end of last year hurt, and he only made 33 catches on the season, but he made major impact for an inconsistent passing game as a deep threat averaging over 19 yards per catch with nine scores.
He hit Michigan for 102 yards, came up with 178 yards in the win over Michigan State, and hauled in the key scoring grab in the shocker over Wisconsin. The size and talent are there for the next level, but he chose to come back for his final year.
2. OG Kendrick Green, Jr.
3. C Doug Kramer, Sr.
4. QB Brandon Peters, Sr.
5. OT Alex Palczewski, Sr.
Best Illinois Fighting Illini Defensive Player
LB Jake Hansen, Sr.
One of the best tacklers in the Big Ten, the 6-1, 225-pounder followed up a big 95-tackle season with a great start – coming up with 72 stops in his first nine games – but he missed the rest of the year hurt.
He can get behind the line, and he’s not bad in pass coverage, but his real worth is as a big-time hitter who blasts away with eight career forced fumbles. While he’s not particularly big or fast, he gets in on everything.
2. SS Sydney Brown, Jr.
3. CB Nate Hobbs, Sr.
4. LB Milo Eifer, Sr.
5. CB Tony Adams, Sr.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Keys To The Season
College Football News Preview 2020: Keys To The Season
Biggest Key To The Illinois Fighting Illini Offense
Establish the run again. The 2018 Illinois running game worked. It came up with over 2,900 yards, averaged close to six yards per carry, and it found a groove from the start with 200 yards or more in nine of the first ten games.
That was the only time in the last eight years that the program ran for 1,900 yards or more.
The 1,874 yards Illinois ran for last season were the second-most in a season since 2011, but it was still ugly. There were four 200-yard rushing days – the Illini won three of them – with the shootout loss to Nebraska the only time the ground game averaged over five yards per pop.
The offensive line is better, but the running backs have to emerge in a hurry. Statistically, the pass protection has to be there, too, with the numbers depending a bit on who takes the quarterback gig.
And on the defensive side …
Biggest Key To The Illinois Fighting Illini Defense
Stop the run. Lost a bit in the shocking win over Wisconsin was the job done all day by the Illini D, holding Jonathan Taylor and company to just 156 yards on the ground.
Illinois needed an epic comeback against Michigan State – getting gouged for 275 yards on the ground – and went 1-4 on the season when allowing 200 rushing yards ore more. Since beating Rutgers in the middle of the 2016 season, Illinois is 1-22 when giving up two bills.
Fortunately, Nebraska is the only team on the first half of the slate that has any semblance of a ground game.
Key Illinois Fighting Illini Player To A Successful Season
RB Reggie Love, Fr.
No pressure or anything, kid, but come right in and take over the Illinois ground game right away.
The O line should be solid, the quarterback will be good – no matter who it is – and the receiving corps should be a positive. However, with Reggie Corbin and Dre Brown done, the offense needs a spark in the backfield.
Love was a four-star get out of St. Louis who had an okay high school career, but nothing amazing. However, he’s a 5-10, 195-pound flash who needs to bring a home run-hitting element to the Illini attack.
Key Game To The Illinois Fighting Illini Season
at Nebraska, Oct. 10
Could Illinois be this year’s Minnesota, and start out huge with a light schedule to build up a great record before the big battles kick in?
Unless there’s a total clunker early on, the Illini should be 4-0 before going to Nebraska. They lost four straight to the Huskers, and are 1-10-1 in the series since they last won in Lincoln … in 1924. Win, and with Purdue up next, 6-0 is very, very possible before facing Minnesota.
– Illinois Fighting Illini Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2019 Illinois Fighting Illini Fun Stats
– Sacks: Opponents 39 for 288 yards – Illinois 25 for 140 yards
– Time of Possession: Opponents 33:58 – Illinois 26:02
– Penalties: Illinois 87 for 797 yards – Opponents 57 for 464 yards
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Illinois Fighting Illini Win Total Prediction, What Will Happen
1. College Football News Preview 2020: Illinois Fighting Illini Win Total Prediction, What Will Happen
There are enough pieces in place for the Illini to go bowling in back-to-back years for the first time since 2010-2011, but there finally has to be some positive consistency in the Lovie Smith era.
A win is a win is a win – and give the Illini credit for coming through – but it took a bizarre meltdown by Michigan State and an epic fail by Wisconsin to pull off those two victories. If either one doesn’t happen, it’s another losing season with no bowl game.
The team that was able to beat the Badgers also lost to Eastern Michigan. The team that stunned the Spartans also got pushed by a miserable UConn team and didn’t show up in a blowout loss to a horrendous Northwestern squad.
It was great that Illinois got to the Redbox Bowl – losing to Cal 35-20 – but it can’t be a one-off. 2020 has to be the start of something a whole lot bigger, but it’s going to be tougher now with Nebraska improving, Minnesota a thing now, Wisconsin and Iowa being Wisconsin and Iowa, and with Northwestern likely to be a whole lot stronger.
So even with a not-that-bad schedule …
Set The Illinois Fighting Illini Regular Season Win Total At … 5.5
Bet at BetMGM Win Total Line: 5
Illinois State, UConn, Bowling Green, at Rutgers. If Illinois is 4-0 to kick things off, forget it – thanks for playing.
There will be a win over a good team along the way, but can it get two?
There’s no Michigan, Penn State or Michigan State on the Big Ten slate, and the first six games are against teams that didn’t go bowling last year, but one of those dates is at Nebraska, and then it’s nasty the rest of the way.
This is a good enough team, though, to push for at least seven wins and comfortably get bowl eligible.
There hasn’t been anything comfortable, though, about Illinois football for a long, long time.
