Illinois Football: 5 things the Illini need to do to beat South Florida

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CHAMPAIGN, IL – SEPTEMBER 01: Head coach Lovie Smith and AJ Bush #1 of the Illinois Fighting Illini talk following the game against the Kent State Golden Flashes at Memorial Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

3. AJ Bush has to be crisp

The game against Western Illinois was extremely interesting last week. Illinois ended up winning the game by 20 points, but some quarterback controversy has started to bubble up thanks to starting quarterback AJ Bush getting hurt in the game.

Bush went down with a leg injury when Illinois was down 7-0 against Western Illinois. The Illini managed to come back in this game with help from backup true freshman, MJ Rivers.

Rivers was able to go 9-of-16 for 105 yards and two touchdowns through the air. He also didn’t have a single turnover, which is surprising for a true freshman. When Bush was in the game, he only threw for 33 yards on 5-of-7 passing.

It was announced earlier this week that Bush is the starting quarterback moving forward. But, knowing we have a backup in Rivers, who is solid, makes me more comfortable for the rest of the season. This also means Bush has to be crisp moving forward as well.

Bush has been an okay quarterback this season. He has thrown for 223 yards in about five quarters of football. He has a completion rate of 60-percent, which is good. His rushing has been a big factor as well. He rushed for 139 yards in the first game against Kent State.

In the game against South Florida, Bush is going to need to bring his best game. He is going to need to be on point with his short-to-intermediate passes. He is going to need to know when to pull the ball down and run and when to have patience. If Bush stays crisp, I think Illinois has a great shot at winning. He needs to stay around 60-percent completion, and he needs to run for over 50 yards. That is a solid recipe for victory.

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