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Illinois Football: 5 observations from the win over Western Illinois

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - SEPTEMBER 01: AJ Bush #1 of the Illinois Fighting Illini runs the ball during the game against the Kent State Golden Flashes at Memorial Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. Illinois defeated Kent State 31-24. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - SEPTEMBER 01: AJ Bush #1 of the Illinois Fighting Illini runs the ball during the game against the Kent State Golden Flashes at Memorial Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. Illinois defeated Kent State 31-24. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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CHAMPAIGN, IL – OCTOBER 08: Kenyon Jackson #95 of the Illinois Fighting Illini is seen during the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Memorial Stadium on October 8, 2016 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL – OCTOBER 08: Kenyon Jackson #95 of the Illinois Fighting Illini is seen during the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Memorial Stadium on October 8, 2016 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

The Illinois football team played in what could have been a trap game on Saturday night against Western Illinois.

This was a game that some people thought Illinois had a legit shot at losing. Despite Illinois being a Big Ten team and Western Illinois an FCS program, the Illini were being questioned. They put all the questions to rest, though, and won the game 34-14.

Illinois once again started the game off slow. They allowed a touchdown on the Leathernecks first drive and were down 7-0 when their starting quarterback went down with an injury. Things were looking a little bleak for this Illini program.

Things ended up turning around, though. Illinois came back with multiple scores before halftime. They then kept pushing on all fronts. Their defense turned things up a notch. Their offense kept solid. And, their special teams really showed up to give the Illini an edge.

There are so many things you could take away from this game, good and bad. Illinois really started to head in the right direction on some things. There were some issues I had as well that probably won’t be fixed until the recent suspensions end. But, a win is a win and now we are 2-0.

Here are five observations from the win over Western Illinois.

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