The Illinois football team starts their 2019 campaign on Saturday, August 31, 2019, against the Akron Zips.
This is a huge season for the Illini coaching staff that needs to prove that their recruiting efforts can translate to victories on the field. The 2019 campaign will help change the course of this program for either good or bad.
Here are the game-by-game predictions for the 2019 season.
W – Illinois vs. Akron – August 31
The Illinois football team kicks off the season against the Akron Zips. The Zips are coming into a new season with a new head coach. Former head coach Terry Bowden was fired after going 4-8 the year before. But Akron was actually competitive during the Bowden era, so I am not sure why he was fired.
Tom Arth takes over as the head coach for the Zips. He doesn’t have prior DI head coaching experience, so this is going to be an adjustment for the program. In addition to that, Akron is coming off a season where they went 4-8.
Akron’s offense was one of the worst in the county in 2018. They averaged scoring 18.9 points per game, which ranked No. 125 out of 130 programs. Their defense was a little better only giving up 27.2 PPG, which ranked No. 68 in the nation.
I imagine Kato Nelson returns as the starting quarterback for Akron this season. He threw for 2,329 yards, 15 touchdowns and 8 interceptions in 2018. He also ran for 303 yards, so that is something Illinois needs to keep an eye on. Akron is returning some good defensive players as well. Alvin Davis had four interceptions in 2018, and he is back. John Lako led the team with 126 tackles, and he returns as well.
Overall, I think Illinois should win this game pretty easy. This Akron team struggled mightily in 2018 and the results should be fairly similar this season. They have talent returning, but a coaching change should put them even further behind the eight ball. I see this being a great tune-up game for Brandon Peters as he continues to gel with his new offense.