Illinois Football: Grades from the Illini win over Charlotte

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Oct 2, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Brandon Peters (18) runs with the ball during the first half against the Charlotte 49ers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

Offense: A-

On the offensive side of the ball, I struggled with what grade to give the Illini. I ended up with an A-, but honestly, it would have been A+ if it wasn’t for the quarterback play.

I would argue this was the best game the Illini offensive line has played this season. The blocked well in both pass coverage and in the run. Vederian Lowe graded out as the top offensive lineman in the country on Saturday as well.

Best in the land in Week 5: @VederianLowe #famILLy pic.twitter.com/GuuXAXZo5B
— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) October 3, 2021

Illinois’ run game was the best I have seen in years. Obviously, Chase Brown was a monster, carrying the ball for 257 yards and two touchdowns on just 26 carries. He etched his name on the top 10 of the Illinois single-game rushing list.

Josh McCray also had a solid game. He ran for 62 yards but did end up losing a fumble. That dropped the grade slightly.

And then we get to the quarterback play. I have seen Brandon Peters play worse than he did on Saturday, but I am still massively underwhelmed by how he is playing on the field.

Peters finished the game with a completion percentage of 52.6-percent. I need that number around 60% to start having confidence in him again. Peters only threw for 78 yards and one touchdown in the game as well. The one bright spot for Peters is the fact he didn’t turn the ball over. But, overall, he brought the grade down to an A-.

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