Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the Illinois Fighting Illini season with what you need to know.
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Recruiting Class Analysis | Schedule Analysis
– Illinois Previews 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2018 Record: 4-8 overall, 2-7 in Big Ten
Head Coach: Lovie Smith, 4th year, 9-27
– CFN Preview 2019: All The Team Previews
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE ILLINOIS OFFENSE
– It wasn’t consistent, and it stalled way too often, but when the Illinois offense found a groove, it showed off something special. It ripped Minnesota for 55 points and scored 31 points or more six times in the first ten games, and then came the power outage to close things out over the final two. With seven starters returning and some big prospects coming in, there’s a lot to get excited about, starting with …
– The quarterback situation will be very, very interesting. Sophomore MJ Rivers was slightly ahead in the starting chase coming out of spring ball to replace AJ Bush … and then he entered the transfer portal. And why?
The Illini landed dual-threat star recruit Isaiah Williams out of Missouri, and it’s a question of when the new guy has the job not if. But if Williams needs a little time, redshirt freshmen Coran Taylor and Matt Robinson will keep the battle going for the starting gig.
– It would’ve been really, really nice if Jeff Thomas was part of the fun. Miami’s leading receiver was all ready to transfer to Illinois, but Mark Richt quit, Manny Diaz got the job, and Thomas kept his talents on South Beach. The same goes for AD Miller, who was coming in from Oklahoma … until he wasn’t.
6-1, 205-pound Ricky Smalling led the team with just 33 catches for 406 yards and five scores. He’s good, but the Illinois could’ve really, really used an infusion of top talents.
Big-time recruit Marquez Beason out of Texas might be that guy, and four of the top five wideouts are back along with USC transfer Trevon Sidney, but it’s going to take something special for this group to shine. Getting Georgia transfer tight end Luke Ford is a big help, too.
– The running game that had its good moments gets back leading man Reggie Corbin after his 1,085-yard, nine-touchdown season. He’s not alone in a promising group with juniors Mike Epstein and Ra’Von Bonner to veteran options for the rotation. Throw in 215-pound senior Dre Brown – and production from the quarterbacks – and the ground attack should be solid, but …
– The offensive line has to be stronger. The starting five will be solid with four starters returning and the addition of grad transfer Richie Petitbon from Alabama, but the Illini have to be a whole lot better after allowing way too many plays behind the line. The biggest problem is the depth with five linemen transferring.
NEXT: What You Need To Know About the Defense, Top Players, Keys to the Season, What Will Happen
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE ILLINOIS DEFENSE
– Ten starters return after a rough run. The Illini finished dead last in the Big Ten, allowing 508 yards and over 39 points per game – this isn’t exactly how it was supposed to work with a defensive head coach like Lovie Smith. But this is where the youth movement kicks in – almost every Illinois defensive player who made more than three tackles returns.
– The one missing piece is Del’Shawn Phillips from the linebacking corps, who tied with Jake Hansen for the team lead in tackles. Hansen is back on the outside, and there’s size inside with the 230-pound Dele Harding back after missing a little time last year. Washington transfer Milo Eifer and undersized 205-pound sophomore Delano Ware bring some speed to the group.
– Can the line hold up against anyone’s running game? Junior Bobby Roundtree is a factor at one end after leading the team with 7.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss, and the hope is for USC grad transfer Oluwole Betiku to find a job either at the other end or in the linebacking corps. There’s beef inside with 330-pound Calvin Avery and 305-pound senior Jamal Milan, but now they have to be a wall.
– The pass defense was better than the run D, but it wasn’t a rock allowing 263 yards per game. The corners are potentially a big plus with junior Nate Hobbs and sophomore Quan Hobbs growing into jobs, and with star recruits Marquez Beason an instant factor. Safeties Tony Adams and Sydney Brown have talent their lumps and should be better with good depth behind them.
NEXT: Top Players, Keys To the Season, What Will Happen
3. TOP ILLINOIS PLAYERS
Best Illinois Offensive Player
RB Reggie Corbin, Sr.
The 5-10, 200-pounder is the best back in a deep stable that should be one of the team’s biggest positives. He averaged well over eight yards per carry with 1,085 yards and nine scores, and he did a decent job as a receiver, too, with 16 catches for 176 yards.
When he was on and the offense was working, he was unstoppable, running for 100 yards or more in four games in a five game stretch, highlighted by a 213-yard, two touchdown day against Minnesota.
2. QB Isaiah Williams, Fr.
3. OT Alex Palczewski, Jr.
4. WR Ricky Smalling, Jr.
5. C Doug Kramer, Jr.
Best Illinois Defensive Player
DE Bobby Roundtree, Jr.
The 6-5, 255-pounder was one of the bright spots in a rough year for the Illini defense. The team’s top pass rusher and playmaker, he came up with 7.5 sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss, and 66 stops. Very long and with a great frame, he was great at batting down passes, too, breaking up seven passes. He should get more help from an improved line, but he’ll still be the one offenses will key on.
2. LB Jake Hansen, Jr.
3. S Sydney Brown, Soph.
4. P Blake Hayes, Jr.
5. S Tony Adams, Jr.
NEXT: Keys to the Season, Prediction & What Will Happen
2. KEYS TO THE SEASON
Biggest Key To The Illinois Offense
Some consistency to the passing game is a must. The Illini should be able to run with a deep group of running backs and – potentially – the dangerous Isaiah Williams at quarterback, but the O desperately needs the passing attack to do something positive on a regular basis. That comes from getting steady play from the quarterback and more from the receiving corps – neither one is a given – after painfully inefficient year.
The Illini failed to hit half of their passes in four of their last six games, finished with ten touchdown passes and 14 picks. No one’s asking for an Oklahoma-level air show, but simply completing third down throws on a consistent basis and connecting on 60% of throws would make a world of difference.
Biggest Key To The Illinois Defense
Do something right. Lovie Smith was an NFL defensive mastermind, but he can’t seem to get anything to work so far with his Illini. They finished dead last in the Big Ten with the nation’s third-worst D. Bad against the pass, worst against the run, nothing seemed to work.
What’s the identity? What’s he calling card? The Illini improvement starts by getting tougher up front after getting gouged for six yards per carry and 31 scores. Minnesota was the only team in the last seven weeks to not hit the 200-yard mark against a run D that allowed 300 yards or more four times.
Key Player To A Successful Season
QB Isaiah Williams, Fr.
The amazing get for the program is being brought in to be an instant savior. MJ Rivers was going to be front and center for the starting job until Williams was ready, but he’s transferring, and Cam Thomas left to go the JUCO route. It’s now Williams or bust with redshirt freshmen and USC transfer Matt Fink behind him, but he’ll only have fall camp to get up to speed.
Not all that big, he’s just 5-10 and 170 pounds, but he’s a special all-around baller with slippery speed and a strong enough arm to get Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and any other big name school you can name. He’s the face of Illinois football now, and he needs to be amazing.
Key Game To The Illinois Season
Nebraska, Sept. 21
Step One is to beat Eastern Michigan. That’s the third game of the season, and Illinois hasn’t won its third game of the season since 2012. But if the Illini are any good, they should beat EMU after taking down Akron and UConn to start the season. And then comes the start of the Big Ten season before getting a week off.
Oddly enough considering the two schools are only 500 miles apart, Nebraska and Illinois have only played 16 times, with the Huskers going 7-1 since the 21-21 tie to open the 1953 season. (By the way, Nebraska won the first meeting 6-0 in 1892.) This time, it’s in Champaign, and it could be a big breakthrough moment for the Illini.
– Illinois Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2018 Illinois Fun Stats
– Field Goals: Illinois 20-of-25 – Opponents 8-of-13
– Fumbles: Illinois 23 (lost 10) – Opponents 14 (lost 5)
– Average Yards Per Game: Opponents 508.3 – Illinois 408.7
NEXT: What Will Happen
1. ILLINOIS WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN
This isn’t the 13th year of rebuilding with some sort of a youth movement, but it certainly seems like it.
Yes, Illinois actually went to a Rose Bowl after the 2007 season. Yes, Illinois actually went to the Sugar Bowl at the end of the 2001 campaign. Yes, the program was annihilated in both big bowls, but it got there.
And yes, since 2000, Illinois has suffered through 15 losing seasons in the 19 years, and it hasn’t known a winning season since beating a UCLA team with a losing record in your 2011 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.
Lovie Smith was supposed to come in and change all of that.
If nothing else, he was expected to be a strong recruiter and a big name to build around for a fat nothing burger – at least over the last several years – of a football program. But he has only won nine games, with two of them against FCS teams, two against the MAC, and with just one win over a team that finished with a winning record.
In Year Four, this is really and truly when this thing is supposed to start to work. But the Illini will likely be going with a true freshman quarterback in Isaiah Williams, they have to hope experience turns into production after finishing 128th in the nation in total defense, and there needs to be a sign that the rebuilding is finally creating something positive.
Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 6
Akron, at UConn, Eastern Michigan. Nothing is a given with the Illini over the last several years, but assume a 3-0 start.
Rutgers has to come to Champaign, and so do Nebraska and Northwestern – both of those are more winnable than it might seem. Throw in a shocker somewhere in the mix – watch out for any of the road games at Minnesota, Purdue, Michigan State and Iowa – and six wins isn’t asking for the world.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Recruiting Class Analysis | Schedule Analysis
