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Illinois football: Prediction for week five vs. Charlotte

By Collin Allen

Aug 28, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; The Illinois Fighting Illini take the field against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 28, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; The Illinois Fighting Illini take the field against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Illinois football team (1-4) could be in for a big test when they host a sneaky good Charlotte 49ers team (3-1) on Saturday.

Looking for its first win since the week zero college football season-opening victory vs. Nebraska, the Illini will be taking on the 49ers, who could pose as a serious “upset” threat this weekend.

What about this Charlotte team makes them such a threat to the Illinois football program?

  • A productive offensive unit

The strength of the Charlotte 49ers is their offense. The 49ers’ offense has had no problem putting points on the board this season, averaging 30 points per contest.  This unit also ranks within the nation’s top 35 with an average of 446.8 total yards per game.

This offensive unit is led by senior quarterback Chris Reynolds, who has thrown 16 touchdown passes this season, which ranks No. 16 of all NCAA DI quarterbacks. Reynolds has also thrown for a total of 924 yards on the season, ranking No. 40 in the nation.  The senior quarterback has only thrown two interceptions in the 49ers’ four games.

  • A struggling run defense

The most glaring weakness of this 49ers team is its defense.  This unit is allowing a total of 434.8 yards per game, ranking them among the nation’s bottom-25.

Most of these yards have come on the ground, with Charlotte allowing an eye-catching 235.8 rushing yards per game, the nation’s seventh-most. Notably, in their season opener vs. Duke, they allowed Blue Devil senior running back Mateo Durant to feast for an absurd total of 255 yards and three touchdowns.

Rising Illini freshman running back Josh McCray has the opportunity to continue his superb play against this struggling unit.  In the Illini loss vs. Purdue last week, McCray rushed for 156 yards on 24 attempts, averaging 6.5 yards per attempt.  The freshman accounted for over half (56.7%) of the Illini’s total yards in the losing effort.

In the game prior, McCray rushed for 60 yards on eight attempts, averaging 7.5 yards per carry vs. Maryland.  The freshman also rushed for a touchdown in the loss.

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  • The Prediction

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema exploits Charlotte’s struggling run defense by utilizing his young thriving running back in McCray.  By doing this, the Illini’s offense flourishes, leading to just enough momentum on the defensive side of the ball.

The Orange and Blue edge out the 49ers in a relatively high-scoring 34-28 affair, picking up its first win since week zero.

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