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Illinois Football: 5 observations from the Illini loss to Penn State

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - SEPTEMBER 21: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini greets fans before the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Memorial Stadium on September 21, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - SEPTEMBER 21: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini greets fans before the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Memorial Stadium on September 21, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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CHICAGO, IL – SEPTEMBER 15: Illinois Fighting Illini running back Reggie Corbin (2) battles with South Florida Bulls linebacker Nico Sawtelle (54) in action during a game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the South Florida Bulls on September 15, 2018 at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL. The South Florida Bulls defeated the Illinois Fighting Illini by the score of 25 to 19. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

2. Illinois went away from the run too much

I realize some of the stats are a little skewed because Illinois was throwing the ball at the end of the game to try to catch up to Penn State. But, I believe Illinois went away from the running game too much against the Nittany Lions.

By far, the strongest area for the Illini on offense is their backfield. They have a nice two-headed monster in Reggie Corbin and Mike Epstein. They can also pepper in Ra’Von Bonner when they need to as well. But, Corbin and Epstein clearly carry the load now.

Corbin only had 11 carries on the night and finished with 87 yards and a touchdown. That is 7.9 yards per carry, which is really good against a tough Penn State defense. He should have been getting more carries, so Illinois could have a more ball-controlled offense.

Epstein was able to get a few more carries. He finished the night with 13 carries for 73 yards. So, that is a combined 24 carries for our top two running backs. I want that number to be at least 30 carries moving forward. There is no reason to put too much pressure on quarterback MJ Rivers. The kid is a true freshman still learning. Let’s run the ball more to take pressure off the quarterback.

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