2. Where was Aidan Laughery in the first half?
Illinois was a little banged up heading into the game against Ohio State. The running back room has had some injury issues this season, and Aidan Laughery was questionable coming into the contest.
Ca’Lil Valentine got the start at running back. He had three carries for six yards before leaving the game injured while also fumbling the ball on the same play.
The second option for the Illini was Kaden Feagin. He ended the game with a quiet six carries for 22 yards. Much like in the past month, Feagin has a hard time getting going. While he is tough to bring down, Feagin doesn’t hit the hole quickly.
You barely saw Laughery in the first half. He played sparingly with only three touches, and two of those came on the ground. One would assume that Laughery was just going to ride the pine the rest of the game because of a lingering injury issue.
That didn’t end up being the case, though. Laughery saw much more action in the final 30 minutes of the game with so many Illinois running backs on the mend.
In the second half, Laughery was much more involved in the Illinois offense. He had six carries and three receptions, making his total nine touches in the second half compared to just three touches in the first half.
If Laughery was healthy enough to play in the second half that much, why not play him more in the first half? He is clearly Illinois’ best running back, and he could have provided a spark for us in the first half. I think that was a bad decision by the Illini coaching staff.