Let’s do ourselves a favor and move on from Ohio State. Little to nothing went right in the 52-21 blowout Saturday night. Next, Wisconsin focuses its attention to Illinois. The Illini currently are 3–1 and 0-1 in Big Ten play. Here’s a first look at Illinois Football.
Wisconsin vs. Illinois: It All Starts With Case Brown
Chase Brown is one of the best running backs in the Big Ten. He is up there with Mohamad Ibrahim, Braelon Allen, and Blake Corum. Illinois Football will ride Brown until they can’t anymore. He already has 95 carries through four games. He has already logged 603 yards but only three touchdowns. It’s clear Brown needs to be priority one for the Wisconsin defense against Illinois this week. Brown is a game-changer and can chew off a lot of clock if the Badgers can’t stop the run.
Illinois Football Offense Looks Better Than Most Years
It’s obvious Illinois has not had a great offense for several years, especially since the Juice-Williams era, where they made it to the Rose Bowl. However, I would not sleep on this Illini offense.
Tommy Devito will be the quarterback against Wisconsin for Illinois. He already has 951 yards and nine touchdowns. Devito has looked solid through four games. While the competition may not have been the best, he’s already established confidence. I see him bringing that to Madison Saturday.
Illinois Football has a nice young receiving duo, as well. The two-headed monster of Isaiah Williams and Pat Bryant need to be on the scouting report. Williams is the leader with 260 yards on 28 catches. He seems to be the security blanket for Devito. On the other hand, Bryant looks to be the deep threat and playmaker. He has recorded 259 yards on only 13 catches. While this isn’t the Ohio State receiving room, Wisconsin must be ready for this Illinois duo.
Wisconsin Begins a Gauntlet ofa Schedule For Illinois
Since we’re in the beginning of the Big Ten season, it’s hard to judge how good some teams are based on non-conference play. The 3-1 record looks good for Illinois, but they have already lost to a bad Indiana team. Regardless, I think this won’t be the blowout we are used to seeing between Wisconsin and Illinois Football.
On the other hand, we will know how good Illinois is starting this week. The Illini start a stretch where four of their next five games are against Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and Michigan State. Not much has been said about this team, but the Big Ten will know what Wisconsin and Illinois are after Saturday.
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