Illinois football went into the first game of the season and took care of business against the Wyoming Cowboys.
The Illini had the lead early in the first quarter, and the defense kept Wyoming at an arm’s length. We would then turn up the heat a little bit in the second quarter. Going into halftime, Illinois would lead the game 17-3.
Illinois would then finish off the Cowboys in the second half, winning the game, 38-6.
Here are five observations from the Illinois football win over Wyoming.
1. Illinois defense was suffocating
I know Wyoming was in for a mismatch against the Illinois football team, but wow, the Illini defense did not let the Cowboys get going.
The biggest weakness heading into the game on Saturday was Wyoming’s passing ability. They were one of the worst teams in the country last season, and a new quarterback didn’t help the cause. Transfer Andrew Peasley only managed to complete five out of his 25 passes for just 30 yards. He also had an interception.
Illinois was able to hold Peasley to a QBR of 27.6, and 50.0 is the average for a quarterback. For being a running team, the Illini were able to hold the Cowboys to an average day on the ground.
Titus Swen led the way with 17 carries for 98 yards. As a team, Wyoming only had 31 carries for 182 yards, which comes out to 5.9 yards per carry. Those are okay numbers, but if you lean heavily on the run, those numbers aren’t good.
Beyond the numbers, I was just extremely impressed with Illinois’ defense from top to bottom. We got to the ball carrier quickly and it wasn’t just one player trying to make a tackle. Everyone would swarm to the football it was quite an impressive first showing for the Illini on defense.