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Illinois Football: Game-by-game predictions for 2017

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - OCTOBER 15: Cheerleaders for the Illinois Fighting Illini run onto the field before a game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Memorial Stadium on October 15, 2011 in Champaign, Illinois. Ohio State defeated Illinois 17-7. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - OCTOBER 15: Cheerleaders for the Illinois Fighting Illini run onto the field before a game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Memorial Stadium on October 15, 2011 in Champaign, Illinois. Ohio State defeated Illinois 17-7. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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BOCA RATON, FL – DECEMBER 20: Memphis Tigers and Western Kentucky Hilltoppers players line up before a snap during the first half of the game at FAU Stadium on December 20, 2016 in Boca Raton, Florida. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images)
BOCA RATON, FL – DECEMBER 20: Memphis Tigers and Western Kentucky Hilltoppers players line up before a snap during the first half of the game at FAU Stadium on December 20, 2016 in Boca Raton, Florida. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images) /

The first questionable game for the Illinois football team is against Western Kentucky. This is a Hilltoppers team that went 11-3 last season and finished the year with a 51-31 blowout of the Memphis Tigers.

Negative

Western Kentucky had an offense that was No. 5 in the nation in passing averaging 336.8 yards per game. They also led the nation in scoring as well with 45.5 points per game. This great production was all behind the amazing play of quarterback Mike White.

White now returns for Western Kentucky and this is bad news for the Illini. He threw for 4,363 yards and 37 touchdowns in 2016. Those are great stats and he will be slinging it around the field again for the Hilltoppers.

Usually, with a great passing game, the defense suffers. That isn’t the case with Western Kentucky, though. They were No. 41 in the nation in total defense last season only averaging giving up 376.6 yards per game.

Positive

There are a lot of areas Illinois can attack this Western Kentucky team. The Hilltoppers lost their head coach Jeff Brohm after he accepted the same position with the Purdue Boilermakers. Mike Sanford takes over and with every new head coach, there is an adjustment. The Illini need to take advantage of this change.

Western Kentucky also lost their leading rusher Anthony Wales. He totaled 1,944 yards from the line-of-scrimmage last season and 1,621 of those yards were on the ground. Quinton Baker now takes over and he only totaled 585 yards in 2016. That is a big drop and losing Wales should help the young Illinois defensive line.

The Hilltoppers also lost their top three leading tacklers from last season as well. That is going to help the Illinois offensive get in a groove and move the ball downfield.

Prediction – Illinois W 38-35

Western Kentucky has an extremely high-powered offense but the fact they lost Wales will put more pressure on White to be even better than last season. The Illini defensive backs play well and enable the defensive line to wreak havoc in the backfield.

Illinois comes away with a big victory here over a talented Western Kentucky team, 38-35.

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