Illinois Football: Illini QB Matt Robinson impresses in first start
This past Saturday, Illinois football fans got to see the first start for redshirt freshman, Matt Robinson.
The first start for any quarterback has to be a nerve-wracking, yet exciting, experience that the player will never forget. I would say, most of the time, a first start comes against a cupcake type of team due to the early-season schedule. That wasn’t the case with Robinson, though.
Robinson’s first start for the Illini came against No. 16 Michigan. He had to go up against a daunting Wolverine defense that doesn’t give up too many yards through the air or on the ground. While the Illinois rushing attack struggled, Robinson was able to get the offense moving through the air. He finished the contest going 16-of-25 for 192 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions.
In my opinion, that is a great outing for a redshirt freshman quarterback against Michigan. Robinson showed me that he could end up being the long-term solution to the offensive problems we have been having. I have full confidence right now that he is, at least, the short-term solution this season.
Name Comp % Yards TD INT
Wes Lunt 63.2% 285 4 0 W – Youngstown St. – 2014
Jon Beutjer 81.8% 277 4 0 W – Arkansas St – 2002
AJ Bush 68.3% 270 2 2 W – Kent State – 2018
Tim Brasic 70.6% 233 3 2 W – Rutgers – 2005
Matt Robinson 64.0% 192 1 0 L – Michigan – 2019
MJ Rivers 69.0% 168 0 0 L – South Florida – 2018
Brandon Peters 60.8% 163 3 0 W – Akron – 2019
Juice Williams 28.1% 161 1 3 L – Iowa – 2006
Cam Thomas 45.2% 139 0 2 L – Northwestern – 2017
Jeff George Jr. 26.7% 95 1 1 L – Michigan – 2016
Chayce Crouch 42.9% 92 1 1 W – Rutgers – 2016
Nathan Scheelhaase 39.1% 81 1 3 L – Missouri – 2010
Reilly O’Toole 71.4% 54 1 1 L – Arizona St. – 2012
But how does Robinson’s first start compare to some of the more recent Illinois quarterbacks who have made their first start under center?
The most recent Illinois starting quarterback is Brandon Peters. His first start behind center was this season against Akron. He went for 163 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions while having a completion rate of 60.8-percent. Those are solid numbers against a bad MAC program.
Let’s look at who has shined throughout the years. Who was the player to have the highest completion rate in their first start over the past 17 years? That would be Jon Beutjer who completed 81.8-percent of his passes against Arkansas State in 2002.
What first-time starter for the Illini had the most passing yards? That would be Wes Lunt. He started against Youngstown State back in 2014 and had 285 yards passing in the victory. There was a tie for the most touchdown passes by a first-time Illini starter over the past 17 years. That honor would go to both Lunt and Beutjer who both threw for four touchdown passes in their inaugural start.
On the not-so-happy side of things with the first-time Illini starting quarterbacks, who are the two quarterbacks tied for the most interceptions in their first start? That would go to both Juice Williams and Nathan Scheelhaase. Juice went up against a tough Iowa team in 2006 and threw three interceptions. Scheelhaase struggled against Missouri in a three interception contest too.
Next. 3 observations from the Illini loss to Michigan. dark
There are a lot of factors that go into a first start. The biggest being who the player went up against. I would make an argument; Robinson went up against the toughest team on this list. He didn’t throw any interceptions, which is great. He was also accurate with the ball. Hopefully, this is only the beginning of great things to come.