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Illinois Football: 5 reasons the Illini need to fire Barry Lunney Jr.

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 27: Chase Brown #2 of the Illinois Fighting Illini shakes hands with offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. after the game against the Wyoming Cowboys at Memorial Stadium on August 27, 2022 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 27: Chase Brown #2 of the Illinois Fighting Illini shakes hands with offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. after the game against the Wyoming Cowboys at Memorial Stadium on August 27, 2022 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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Sep 2, 2023; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini running back Josh McCray (0) is tackled by Toledo Rockets linebacker Jackson Barrow (5) during the second half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 2, 2023; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini running back Josh McCray (0) is tackled by Toledo Rockets linebacker Jackson Barrow (5) during the second half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Inability to score the football

In years two and three of the Bret Bielema era, I expected the Illini to have a better offense. The change was made to offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr., and the offense hasn’t improved.

This season, Purdue was giving up 32.25 points per game coming into the matchup on Saturday. The best they had done prior to the Illinois game was giving up 17 points to a bad Virginia Tech unit.

Illinois had a chance to put up points against the Boilermakers but failed to do so. This has been the trend during Lunney’s rein controlling the offense.

With all of the talent Illinois had in 2022, we only managed to score 23.7 points per game, which ranked No. 86 in the nation. That is awful considering who we had on the offensive side of the ball. But a great Illinois defense covered up the offense’s flaws.

We don’t have that defense this season, though. The Illini offense can’t hide anywhere, and it is ugly to watch. In 2023, Illinois is averaging just 21.6 points per game, which ranks No. 94 in the country. There are only three teams worse than Illinois in the Big Ten in scoring – Nebraska (18.8), Indiana (15.8), and Michigan State (15.8).

Illinois’ offense is at one of the lowest points I have seen in the past decade. The 2019 Illinois offense wasn’t great by any means, but even they could average 26.7 points per game. We aren’t even sniffing that right now. The fact we can’t score points in year two of the Lunney era means there needs to be a change.

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