Illinois Football: 4 observations from the Illini loss to Wisconsin

Illinois football had a chance to show the world we aren’t a laughingstock of the Big Ten but failed to do so against Wisconsin.

The Badgers didn’t even play that well but still managed to beat the Illini by a score of 24-0. This was one of the worst offensive performances in recent memory for the Orange and Blue. The upcoming bye week is very much needed.

Here are four observations from the Illinois football loss to Wisconsin.

1. Balance was off for Illinois

Remember the past two games when Illinois running backs ran for 156 yards and 257 yards against Purdue and Charlotte, respectively?

Yeah, those were the good ole days when the Illini actually ran the ball. In the Purdue game, the Illini had 42 runs compared to just 27 passes. In the Charlotte victory, Illinois had 50 runs compared to just 19 passes. Those two games are where I want the run-to-pass ratio to be.

Illinois’ run-to-pass balance was off against Wisconsin, though. From the start of the game, the Illini were trying to pass the ball. It didn’t make any sense. I don’t care how good Wisconsin’s run defense is this season, our strength is running the ball and we didn’t do it.

When the final seconds ticked off the clock, the Illini stat line showed just 13 runs on the day. Instead of running the ball, we were passing it for some reason. We ended up throwing the ball 34 times against the Badgers. So, 13 runs compared to 34 passes. What were we thinking?

This Illinois football team is not a passing team. The stable of running backs we have is impressive. I am not sure what the coaching staff was thinking trying to pass the ball. We played right into the hands of Wisconsin, and that is why we ended up losing 24-0.