Week 1 is in the rearview mirror, and the Illinois Fighting Illini are flying toward their Week 2 matchup against the Duke Blue Devils, a formidable opponent from the ACC.
While the Illini flew past the Western Illinois Leathernecks, collecting a resounding 52-3 victory and moving up to No. 11 in the AP Top 25 Poll, Illinois and head coach Bret Bielema can't step into Week 2 with the same ease.
The Blue Devils also gathered a dominant win in Week 1, defeating the Elon Phoenix 45-17 and finally collecting a few points in the AP Poll. Three players stood out among their peers for Duke last week, and the Fighting Illini need to make sure to have both eyes open for them.
Senior wideout Cooper Barkate transferred to Duke after starting his collegiate career at Harvard, and immediately made an impact in Week 1. While he didn't earn a touchdown reception, he amassed a jaw-dropping 117 yards on just five receptions, averaging 23.4 yards per catch.
His downfield gains allowed the Blue Devils to easily rush in two touchdowns (one apiece to Jaquez Moore and Peyton Jones) and earn three easy TD receptions between Sahmir Hagans and Andrel Anthony.
At 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, Barkate is far from the biggest receiver on the field, but his shiftiness and football IQ make him a big threat for defensive secondaries.
Chandler Rivers is the star of the Duke defensive secondary, especially with fellow senior defensive back Terry Moore still recovering from ACL surgery. Last week, Rivers had just two total tackles, but the tale of his Week 1 tape doesn't reflect his dominant career for the Blue Devils.
Last year alone, he had 54 total tackles, eight pass deflections, three interceptions, two forced fumbles, one sack, and one pick six... and that was with quarterbacks quickly realizing they should target their receivers who were covered by Rivers.
Rivers was named to numerous preseason award watchlists, including the Wuerffel Trophy, the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (for best defensive player), the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award (for best defensive back), and the Panini Senior Bowl Watch List.
Senior linebacker Jaiden Francois is a player that had flown slightly under the radar for the Blue Devils. That was, until his Week 1 performance against Elon, when he earned an astonishing 10 total tackles and 0.5 sacks for a loss of a yard.
After spending a year at UCF and two seasons at Utah State, Francois transferred to Duke and has already turned himself into a defensive star for the Blue Devils.
Throughout his career, he has brought in two interceptions for a total of 115 yards and two touchdowns. He has earned 2.5 sacks and an unbelievable 119 total tackles, including the 10 he earned last week.
No, the Blue Devils are not a top-10 team, and yes, the Fighting Illini should easily defeat them on Saturday. However, Illinois cannot walk into Durham expecting an easy victory. With Duke's defensive stars on the rise, Luke Altmyer is going to have to play to the best of his abilities, and the rest of the team is going to have to rise to that level.
Duke and Illinois are scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 6, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.