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Illinois Football: 3 key numbers for the Illini to beat Wyoming

By Rees Woodcock

STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 23: Joshua McCray #0 of the Illinois Fighting Illini carries the ball against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the second half at Beaver Stadium on October 23, 2021 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 23: Joshua McCray #0 of the Illinois Fighting Illini carries the ball against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the second half at Beaver Stadium on October 23, 2021 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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Dec 30, 2019; Santa Clara, California, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Sydney Brown (30) reacts to a penalty call during the third quarter against the California Golden Bears at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports /

2. 54.2%

Illinois’ defense is going to have a huge part in a victory against Wyoming. The Cowboys can scare some teams, so we can’t just look past this game. But one area Illinois can attack is Wyoming’s passing game.

Wyoming’s quarterback situation is kind of a mess. While I don’t believe Wyoming has named a starting quarterback just yet, I would imagine transfer Andrew Peasley is going to be under center for the first snap.

We don’t know what Peasley is going to look like for the Cowboys, but if it is anything like last season, Illinois should be able to tear up Wyoming with their pass defense. That is why I think 54.2% is an important number. That is the Wyoming completion percentage per game in 2021.

A 54.2% completion rate in 2021 ranked No. 116 out of 130 college football programs. They couldn’t get the ball from their quarterback to a playmaker. On top of that, Illinois only allowed a 58.7% completion rate to their opponents.

If Wyoming enters Saturday and they are just a one-dimensional team, then Illinois will benefit greatly. We can load the box and just hammer the Cowboys’ running game. The Illini have the defenders to be able to hold this Wyoming program to fewer than 17 points on the day.

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