The Illinois football team takes on the Akron Zips and an offense that saw little success in 2018.
Akron rushed for 88.9 yards per game in 2018, which ranked No. 126 out of 130 programs. They threw for 195.7 yards per game, which ranked No. 95 in the nation. Here is a breakdown of what Illinois will be looking at come Saturday.
Passing
The leading passer for Akron in 2018 was Kato Nelson. He threw the ball for 2,329 yards, 15 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He only had a completion rate of 52-percent, though. Nelson is back for his redshirt junior year with the Zips.
I actually like Nelson as a quarterback. He has a cannon for an arm and is fairly accurate despite his 52-percent completion rate. I lay a lot of the blame for him being inaccurate on other factors like his wide receivers and offensive line.
There are a lot of times where Nelson is under pressure immediately, so he has to scramble for his life. He does tend to pull the ball down after one or two reads, though.
Rushing
I would say the rushing attack is a weak point in the Akron offense. Leading rusher Van Edwards Jr. did graduate, so he is no longer with the program. He rushed for 558 yards and 3 touchdowns in 2018. He only averaged 3.8 yards per carry, though.
This Akron ball club does try to run the ball. With a struggling offensive line, it is hard to break too many big runs. They have a nice balance of run and pass integrated into their game plan. I would say their most effective running play is their read-pass option. But it all depends on what running back steps into the starting role this season.
Wide Receivers
Akron is returning three of their top four wide receivers from last season including leading pass catcher, Andre Williams. Williams caught 46 passes for 649 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2018. I expect him to be the main target for Nelson in the passing game.
The wide receivers don’t help Nelson out much from what I have seen. It is good that most of the main guys are back this season so that chemistry is still there. But they need to be able to create separation and hold onto the ball. Both are things they have failed out frequently.
Offensive Line
The offensive line for Akron last season wasn’t good. They struggled to protect Nelson and couldn’t open holes up for the running backs. This caused the offense to not work as well as it should.
One silver lining to the struggling offensive line is that four of the five starters from last year are back. This chemistry will show, and I assume you will see a slight improvement from 2018. But this is Akron’s biggest weakness on the team.
Overall
The Illinois defensive line should have a heyday with the Akron offense. I expect the Zips to have little, if any, running attack against the Illini. I will be shocked if they have 100 total rushing yards in the game.
The thing Akron could take advantage of against Illinois is the lack of depth at defensive back. If they could wear down the Illini corners, that could be a hole they could expose. But the Illinois defensive line should be able to get through to Nelson, which will make the Akron offense fall apart.
This game should test the Illinois linebackers too. With a bad offensive line, Nelson likes to get the ball out quick. I would keep an eye out for the Illini linebackers and how they cover the middle of the field about 10 yards deep. Don’t be surprised if you see an interception or two by the linebackers on Saturday.