I would argue that the biggest game of the year for the Illinois football team is taking place on Saturday.
Listen, I realize that the Illini play No. 1 Ohio State here in a few weeks. But if you think about it, Illinois can afford to lose that game against the Buckeyes and still make the College Football Playoff. I can’t say the same for the game against Indiana on Saturday.
To beat a team like the Hoosiers, you have to play a great game. Offensively, Illinois needs to be crisp or the Hoosiers’ defense will take advantage.
Here are the three keys for the Illinois football offense vs Indiana Hoosiers
- Keep the legs fresh at running back
The 2024 version of the Illinois football team was more of a passing squad. We had an NFL wide receiver in Pat Bryant, so the Illini could fling the ball all over the field.
I would argue the 2024 rendition of the Orange and Blue could be more of a running team. We have a three-headed monster that could do some serious damage on the ground. That is why I think one of the keys to securing the win on Saturday is keeping the running backs’ legs fresh.
Aidan Laughery missed the last game due to injury, but it seemed to be more of a caution thing to save him for the Indiana game. He should be back on Saturday. Laughery, Kaden Feagin, and Ca’Lil Valentine all average at least 4.4 yards per carry, with Valentine and Laughery hitting 6.3 and 7.1 yards per carry, respectively.
Indiana hasn’t played a reputable team yet, and they still struggled defensively against Old Dominion. The Hoosiers gave up 23 carries for 218 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. If Illinois can just keep rotating the three-headed monster in and out the entire night, we should be able to emerge victorious.
- Limit the turnovers
This one is more of an obvious one, but it needs to be said. Turnovers can kill any team against any opponent.
Illinois can’t allow Indiana to have more offensive possession because of our mistakes. That is why we need to limit turnovers against the Hoosiers.
Indiana is a good team when it comes to taking the ball away. They average 2.5 takeaways per game this season, which ranks No. 7 in the country. A big reason for this great takeaway number is due to their strong secondary.
D’Angelo Ponds is their future NFL Draft pick, and he has an interception and a pass deflection this season. Louis Moore is also a star, as he leads the team with two interceptions. Indiana is waiting to pounce in the secondary, and Illinois has to be ready.
This is a big moment for Luke Altmyer. Continue hitting your safety blanket in Hank Beatty. He should continue being the go-to wide receiver. Illinois’ offensive line has to play better, too. If Altmyer gets pressured, that cranks up the turnover possibility. Limit the turnovers to less than two, and I think Illinois will be good.
- Control the time off possession
Honestly, this kind of goes hand-in-hand with the first key for the Illinois offense. With the three-headed monster at running back, Illinois should be able to control the time of possession against Indiana.
It is early in the season, but Illinois has been pretty good with time of possession. We averaged having the football 56.46% of the time, which ranks No. 25 in the country.
That is a good number considering the Illini have played decent teams thus far. The only cupcake game was against Western Illinois, so that time of possession holds more true than some programs.
On the other hand, a team like Indiana hasn’t played very tough competition. That doesn’t devalue them as a team, but it is just the truth. With the bad competition comes more time of possession. Indiana averages having the ball 61.64% of the time, which ranks No. 5 in the country.
Let’s keep pounding the rock. This enables Illinois to move the football, and it also keeps a talented Indiana offense off the field. If we can just win the time of possession battle, then I think we can win the game.