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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 – OCTOBER 28: Alex Hornibrook #12 of the Wisconsin Badgers scrambles out of the pocked during the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium on October 28, 2017 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL – OCTOBER 28: Alex Hornibrook #12 of the Wisconsin Badgers scrambles out of the pocked during the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium on October 28, 2017 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Illinois @ Wisconsin

Illinois is going to run into another tough test in the middle of the Big Ten season when they have to travel up to Wisconsin. This is usually never a good outcome for the Orange and Blue.

Positive

It is hard to take anything positive away from a matchup against a team who won 13 games last year, but they do have a weakness in their passing game. Wisconsin only threw for 192.1 yards per game last season and this ranked No. 92 in the nation. Illinois should be able to take advantage of this bad passing game with their talented defensive backs.

Negative

Oh man, where do I start? Let’s go with the Wisconsin defense. They ranked No. 3 in the nation in both yards per game give up on the ground and through the air. Teams were only racking up an average of 163.6 yards per game throwing the ball and 98.4 yards per game running the ball. These are insane numbers.

Wisconsin’s rushing offense was one of the best in the nation in 2017 as well. They were averaging 223.2 yards per game on the ground, which ranked No. 22 in the nation. While Illinois’ defensive line continues to improve, I am not sure they are ready for this attack.

Keys to the Game

Running back Jonathan Taylor is back for his sophomore campaign. He rushed for 1,977 yards and 13 touchdowns as a freshman for the Badgers. Those are incredible numbers that will only likely get better. Weirdly enough, Illinois actually did well against Wisconsin in 2017 only losing 24-10. They held Taylor to 73 yards on the ground too.

The Illini defense ended up shutting down quarterback Alex Hornibrook as well. He is back for his junior season and the Illinois secondary should be ready again. They are going to be improved and ready to take on the challenge. But, this Wisconsin team is likely going to be too much.

Prediction

Illinois 10 – 21 Wisconsin

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