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Illinois Football: Illini game-by-game predictions for the 2018 season

By Rees Woodcock

IOWA CITY, IOWA- OCTOBER 07: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini during the second quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes on October 7, 2017 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
IOWA CITY, IOWA- OCTOBER 07: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini during the second quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes on October 7, 2017 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images) /
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CHAMPAIGN, IL – NOVEMBER 25: Northwestern Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald and Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Lovie Smith discuss before the game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Northwestern Wildcats on November 25, 2017 at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Illinois @ Northwestern

In 2017, the Northwestern Wildcats smacked Illinois up and down the field until the game was over and the score showed 42-7. That shouldn’t happen again considering the Illini are a better team this season.

Positive

There are a few positives to draw from the matchup against Northwestern. The first one is the bad Wildcats’ pass defense. They gave up an average of 249.5 yards per game through the air in 2017 and that ranked No. 101 in the nation. Illinois finally has a quarterback behind center in AJ Bush, so this could be an area of weakness for Northwestern.

Another positive I can draw is the fact the Northwestern offense isn’t that good. They averaged 174.2 yards per game on the ground and 233.8 yards per game through the air. Both are sub-50 in the nation. I am not too afraid of this Wildcats offense.

Negative

Illinois will most likely be a running team in 2018. That means the use of the running backs and quarterback to move the offense will be essential. Going up against a Northwestern team that ranked No. 6 in the nation only giving up 107.7 yards per game on the ground is scary. Illinois will need to figure something out here.

Last season, this game was ugly. I hope the team doesn’t carry those feels of negativity over to the game this season. They need to get that bad loss out of their head and focus on this big bragging rights contest.

Keys to the Game

Northwestern will go as quarterback Clayton Thorson goes. He is back for his senior season and a lot of people are saying keep an eye out for him. He threw for 2,844 yards, 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2017. The key to getting the Illini to win this game is turnovers. They need to cause a few turnovers by Thorson to help turn the tides.

Justin Jackson departing the Northwestern program was huge for the Illini as well. He rushed for 1,311 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. Now that he is gone, Jeremy Larkin seems to be next in line, and he rushed for 503 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2017. He also had a 6.0 yards per carry average, which is scary. Illinois has to crash down on the run. Letting Larkin run wild would spell disaster.

Next. Top 6 Illini targets for the class of 2019. dark

A good part of the Northwestern defense is returning and that isn’t a good sign. Having these talented defensive players back on the field for the Wildcats will give the Illini issues. Illinois should compete for a while in this game.

Prediction

Illinois 13 – 20 Northwestern

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