Illinois Football: 3 keys for the Illini to beat the Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Another game has arrived and this is a chance for the Illinois football team to turn things around on the field.

The Illini are going up against a Rutgers program that has looked better this year, but they still have some major flaws. Both teams want to win this game but, for the Illini, it seems to be a must-win.

Here are three keys for the Illini to beat Rutgers.

1. Coran needs to be on

The Illinois offense has been one of the worst in the nation in 2020. Without an offense that can move the ball, the team won’t win games.

Coran Taylor is going to need to be on against Rutgers if Illinois wants any chance to win the game. That means Taylor needs to complete over 50-percent of his passes and needs at least 200 yards through the air.

Illinois is facing a pretty bad Rutgers defense, specifically their secondary. While the Illini are dead last in the nation in opponent completion percentage, the Scarlet Knights aren’t too far behind. Rutgers is allowing an opponent completion percentage of 74.23-percent, which ranks 128 out of 130 teams in college football.

This game is going to be the measuring stick for Taylor’s time and whether there is a path forward for him potentially starting in the future. Illinois is only going to play one more team this season that has a worse opponent completion percentage and that is Nebraska next week. If Taylor can’t complete passes, then we won’t win the game and it is going to be an easy transition back to Brandon Peters.

To win football games, the offense has to move the ball. To move the ball, passes need to be completed. To complete passes, the quarterback needs to be accurate. It is time for Taylor to step up and lead this Illini team.