When asked by reporters at his weekly news conference, Illinois football head coach Lovie Smith could not give an answer about who would start Week 3 against Minnesota.
Smith, who is in his fifth season as Illinois‘ head coach, is a man of few words. When Brandon Peters was sidelined due to COVID-19, Smith experimented with backup quarterbacks Matt Robinson and Coran Taylor when Purdue visited Champaign on October 31. The Boilermakers would edge the Orange and Blue, 31-24, as they fell to 0-2.
Taylor would play the majority of the game, nearly guiding his team to a comeback victory after trailing 31-10 midway through the third quarter. Despite his best efforts, Taylor put his team in difficult situations, as the offense mustered up four turnovers. Those turnovers, including a failed fourth-down conversion on its final drive, was the difference between an Illini win and an Illini loss.
Illinois has not defeated Purdue in back-to-back seasons since 2001-2002, as the series has been mostly dominated by Purdue for over the better part of a decade.
During Smith’s weekly press conference ahead of the Illini’s home tilt with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, one of the obvious questions was around who the team’s starter would be until Peters was healthy enough to return to play. Robinson is currently sidelined with an ankle injury that he suffered in the first half of the Purdue loss.
When asked by reporters Wednesday, according to Saturday Tradition, Smith declined to comment on the situation with just three days to go before kickoff.
Coran Taylor has earned the starting job.
Unless Taylor, a Peoria, Illinois, native has COVID-19, there is no reason why he shouldn’t have his first official start on Saturday. Outside of four turnovers, Taylor had poise and kept his team afloat during the entire second half. His final stat line was 17-of-29 for 273 yards and two touchdowns. The defense also did its part to keep the game close and not let it slip away.
Next. 3 keys for the Illini to beat Minnesota. dark
Illinois is desperate for a win before the schedule gets tougher with an improved Rutgers team up next on November 14.