Writing Illini
Fansided

Illinois football: 5 observations from the Illini win over Charlotte

By Rees Woodcock

Oct 2, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema on the sidelines during the second half of Saturday’s game with the Charlotte 49ers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema on the sidelines during the second half of Saturday’s game with the Charlotte 49ers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
Oct 2, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Charlotte 49ers defensive back Jon Alexander (1) tries to tackle Illinois Fighting Illini running back Chase Brown (2) in the second half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Charlotte 49ers defensive back Jon Alexander (1) tries to tackle Illinois Fighting Illini running back Chase Brown (2) in the second half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

2. We trusted the run

I feel like I have been screaming this from the mountain tops. If we just run the football, and I mean run it almost every time, then the Illini can win a lot of games moving forward.

On Saturday, Illinois didn’t just lean on the run, they actually trusted the run and became a running team. I thought it was crazy that in the first five games this season, Illinois was trying to force the issue of passing the ball. We don’t have the caliber of quarterback to be a passing team. Do you know what we have? A great stable of running backs.

Illinois’ running game showed its ability on Saturday. Chase Brown led the way for the Orange and Blue with a record-setting performance. He finished the day with 26 carries for 257 yards and two touchdowns. His 257 yards cracked the top 10 all-time Illinois single-game rushing list.

But Illinois didn’t just use Brown the entire game. Josh McCray also got plenty of work. He had 16 carries for 64 yards on the day. His bruising rushing style is going to give teams nightmares for years to come.

Overall, Illinois had 50 carries for 336 yards and two touchdowns. We only attempted 19 passes on the day. A 50-19 run-to-pass ratio is where I want this program every game. That is how you put W’s on the board.

Home/Illinois Football