The Illinois football team is taking on a talented Western Kentucky offense on Saturday.
Here is Western Kentucky’s offensive depth chart.
QB: Mike White
Last week against Eastern Kentucky, Mike White didn’t look himself. He only threw for 264 yards and 1 touchdown in the narrow victory. This is a guy who threw for 4363 yards and 37 touchdowns last season. I am thinking the coaching change affected his play slightly.
RB: D’Andre Ferby
The running game wasn’t effective week one for the Hilltoppers either. Their leading running back was their backup who carried the ball 16 times for 61 yards. That is only a 3.8 yards per carry average. Their starter, D’Andre Ferby only had 57 yards on 19 carries. Illinois did pretty well against the run last week so hopefully, they can do something similar against Western Kentucky.
WR: Lucky Jackson
Lucky Jackson was the main wide receiver for the Hilltoppers week one. Illinois has some inexperienced cornerbacks so they need to double team Jackson on Saturday. He finished last week with 5 catches for 144 yards and 1 touchdown.
WR: Xavier Lane
Xavier Lane didn’t have a catch week one. He could be dangerous against the Illini true freshmen. Hopefully, they can draw up some schemes to throw off the offense.
TE: Deon Yelder
The second leading pass catcher against Eastern Kentucky was Deon Yelder. He caught 4 passes for 40 yards. He will be dangerous in the red zone for this Western Kentucky team.
LT: Jimmie Sims
Jimmie Sims is an experienced redshirt senior. He has played in almost every game of his career and made seven starts last season.
LG: Brandon Ray
Brandon Ray is a redshirt senior who has started every game in his career. He is the best offensive linemen the Hilltoppers have. Expect Ferby to try to run off the left side of this offensive line.
C: Dennis Edwards
The center for Western Kentucky is Dennis Edwards. He is a redshirt junior who has started all but two games in his career. He is also on the Rimington Trophy watch list as the best center in the nation.
RG: Miles Pate
The most inexperienced offensive lineman is Miles Pate. He hasn’t started a game but played in 11 last season as a backup. This is where the Illini need to attack.
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RT: Matt Nord
Redshirt senior Matt Nord played in every game last season as a backup. He will be the starting right tackle for the Hilltoppers. Putting pressure on the right side of the line will be key for the Illini.