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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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31 October 2015: The Penn State Nittany Lion mascot does one-handed pushups after a touchdown with encouragement from the cheerleaders. The Penn State Nittany Lions defeated the Illinois Fighting Illini 39-0 at Beaver Stadium in State College, PA. (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire) (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire/Corbis via Getty Images)
31 October 2015: The Penn State Nittany Lion mascot does one-handed pushups after a touchdown with encouragement from the cheerleaders. The Penn State Nittany Lions defeated the Illinois Fighting Illini 39-0 at Beaver Stadium in State College, PA. (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire) (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire/Corbis via Getty Images) /

Illinois vs. Penn State

The first real big test of the season comes in week four as the Illini welcome in the Penn State Nittany Lions. This is a game that will gauge where Illinois is at as a football program.

Positive

Illinois is going up against a really good team in Penn State, but the Nittany Lions do have a few areas where they are average. Believe it or not, they were only No. 54 in the nation in rushing yards averaging 170.2 per game. They also lost their top running back in Saquon Barkley as well.

Another area that Penn State could be vulnerable is their pass defense. They averaged giving up 211.5 yards per game through the air, which ranked No. 43 in the nation. By this time, Illinois will know what they have at quarterback so, hopefully, the offense will be running smoothly.

Negative

Penn State is a really good team with really good players filling the holes that are left by the departing players. Their passing game was underrated last season. They threw for 290.2 yards per game, which ranked No. 21 in the nation. They are returning Trace McSorley at quarterback as well. This could be bad news for the Illini despite having a good pass defense.

Rush defense is an area that Penn State specializes in. They were No. 13 in the nation last season only giving up 118 yards per game on the ground. That is tough to beat no matter who your running backs are. Illinois’ running game is solid, but they will be tested in this game.

Keys to the Game

Illinois’ pass defense has to be on-point. Safeties Bennett Williams and Stanley Green will need to keep the ball in the middle of the field. They need to limit McSorely from having a big game. He is a Heisman Trophy candidate and that is scary.

A solid passing attack for the Illini is important too. They don’t have to necessarily throw it down the field. They need to use the running backs out of the backfield to help take pressure off AJ Bush. The Penn State defensive line is going to be coming strong.

It is nice Penn State lost some key players. Barkley is gone like previously mentioned. He was their leading rusher and third leading receiver. The Nittany Lions also lost their leading wide receiver, DaeSean Hamilton, as well.

Penn State’s defense suffered some losses too. Their top four leading tackles all departed the program. Their secondary and linebacker corps are both coming back strong, though. This is a big test for the Illini offense.

Prediction

Illinois 17 – 21 Penn State

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