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Illinois Football: Game-by-game predictions for the 2019 season

By Rees Woodcock

EVANSTON, IL - NOVEMBER 24: An Illinois Fighting Illini flag is seen during a game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Northwestern Wildcats on November 24, 2018, at Ryan Field in Evanston, IL. (Photo by Patrick Gorski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
EVANSTON, IL - NOVEMBER 24: An Illinois Fighting Illini flag is seen during a game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Northwestern Wildcats on November 24, 2018, at Ryan Field in Evanston, IL. (Photo by Patrick Gorski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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TAMPA, FL – JANUARY 01: Nate Stanley #4 of the Iowa Hawkeyes passes during the 2019 Outback Bowl against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Raymond James Stadium on January 1, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL – JANUARY 01: Nate Stanley #4 of the Iowa Hawkeyes passes during the 2019 Outback Bowl against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Raymond James Stadium on January 1, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

L – Illinois at #20 Iowa – November 23

If I haven’t mentioned this yet, Illinois has a tough schedule in 2019. They go on the road again to take on the No. 20 Iowa Hawkeyes for the second-to-last game of the season. It seems like we never do well against Iowa.

The Hawkeyes are bringing back a lot of talent from the solid team they had last season. This program is led by quarterback, Nate Stanley. Stanley threw for 2,852 yards, 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 2018. He is now back as a senior and will probably improve on those numbers.

Iowa also returns their stable of running backs. Their top three rushers from last season are all back. Mekhi Sargent rushed for 745 yards and 9 touchdowns. Toren Young rushed for 637 yards and 5 touchdowns. Ivory Kelly-Martin rushed for 341 yards and 2 touchdowns. These are all solid running backs for the Hawkeyes.

On top of having a really good offense coming back, Iowa also has a stout defense with a lot of NFL talent. One of the players who will give the Illini headaches is defensive end, AJ Epenesa. He is going to be a nightmare. In 2018, Iowa gave up 18.1 points per game, which ranked No. 8 in the nation. Illinois’ offense will struggle here.

The Hawkeyes are a well-balanced program. They have very few weaknesses. I would be happy if Illinois kept this game to single-digits. Look for Iowa to, potentially, win the Big Ten in 2019.

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