The first game of the season for the Illinois football program is on Friday, and the opponent is Western Illinois.
The FCS does house some good programs, but I can’t say that is the case with the Leathernecks. They are making the short trip to take on the Illini, and thankfully, they don’t have a long trip back home.
Let’s take a look at what the Western Illinois offense will bring against Illinois
- Strength – None
I keep trying to find the strengths of the Western Illinois offense, and the same conclusion keeps popping up. The Leathernecks don’t have a strength.
While this is a team that averaged 31.0 points per game last season, which ranked No. 25 in the FCS, they didn’t fare well against other FBS programs. They scored a total of 18 points against Northern Illinois and Indiana.
I don’t like what Western Illinois has starting at key positions either. I believe Chris Irvin will be the starting quarterback on Friday night. He only threw 29 passes last season. Their leading running back returning had 73 yards last season, while their best wide receiver returning had a total of 365 yards.
This wouldn’t be as bad if Western Illinois had added quality talent. That wasn’t the case. There were a couple of good additions, especially on the offensive line in James Durand from Wisconsin, but the Leathernecks aren’t going to be competitive offensively.
- Weakness – Departures
With that being said, the biggest weakness for the Western Illinois offense is their departures. Those hit this program so hard that I think the Leathernecks could get demolished on Friday night.
Nathan Lamb departed at quarterback after throwing for 3,372 yards, 21 touchdowns, and eight interceptions last season. 2024 starting running back Cameren Smith transferred to Charlotte. Western Illinois’ top two wide receivers, one of whom went for over 1,000 yards last season, both transferred out as well.
I would have said that this Western Illinois bunch might be able to keep up with the Illini if everyone had returned, but that isn’t the case in the least bit. Illinois’ experienced defense should be able to hold the Leathernecks to a single-digit number.
- Overall – F
You can’t give Western Illinois any grade higher than an F. I know that the schedules come out years in advance, but honestly, I kind of wish we weren’t playing this easy of a team.
When it is all said and done, I would be shocked if Western Illinois comes within 50 points of Illinois on Friday. This is one of the worst teams in the FCS, and they are playing one of the best teams in the FBS. It will get ugly in a hurry.