Tag: Illinois Preview

Wisconsin still has a real shot at the Big Ten West if a few things happen today

Wisconsin still has a real shot at the Big Ten West if a few things happen today

Wisconsin was expected to capture the Big Ten West and take another at a Big Ten title entering the season.

Things have obviously not gone according to plan. The team sits 0-2 in Big Ten play and 1-3 overall—two games behind No. 3 Iowa in the Big Ten West.

A lot will need to go right for the Badgers to reverse course and rise back to the top of the division. A good sign for Paul Chryst’s team, though, is a lot of Big Ten play is still on the horizon including a battle with old friend Bret Bielema in Champaign, Illinois today.

Wisconsin still has a real mathematical shot at the Big Ten West. It sounds crazy to say after a disappointing start, but if the team gets some help today it will be back to controlling its own destiny.

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What’s that help? No. 4 Penn State needs to go into Iowa, City and take down No. 3 Iowa.

If that happens and Wisconsin wins against Illinois the Badgers will be one game behind the Hawkeyes with a matchup between the two still to come in a few weeks. That would mean the Badgers would then have a chance at winning out in-conference and capturing the division title.

Wisconsin needs to get better play from the offensive line, consistent play from quarterback Graham Mertz and continued dominance on the defensive side of the football.

For Badger fans, today’s rooting interests are clear: Wisconsin needs to take care of business against Illinois and Penn State needs to beat Iowa.

Enjoy your college football Saturday.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

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Wisconsin HC Paul Chryst gives an update on the status of QB Graham Mertz, TE Jake Ferguson

Wisconsin HC Paul Chryst gives an update on the status of QB Graham Mertz, TE Jake Ferguson

Wisconsin played much of the second half of Saturday’s loss to Michigan without quarterback Graham Mertz and tight end Jake Ferguson. The two key offensive players were injured early in the third quarter and did not return to the game.

That left Chase Wolf under center for a team that needed a late spark to close the gap against the Wolverines. It did not go well.

Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst gave an update on Mertz’s status on Monday, saying “all the tests, I’ve gotta be careful because I’m not a doctor, he’s good that way and was good today and obviously we’ll get him through the week and kinda see.”

Good sign No. 1 for Mertz’s availability was his ability to practice throughout the week. Sign No. 2 was him meeting with the media on Monday.

Now, we have yet another good sign that points towards both Graham Mertz and Jake Ferguson suiting up and playing against illinois.

Here’s Paul Chryst from his media availability yesterday:

“Yea, [Graham Mertz] has been able to practice and that part’s been good,” Chryst said. “Expecting to have everyone, [Jake Ferguson] has been able to practice. That part’s all been good.”

It’s great news for a Wisconsin offense that is set to face a defense that allows nearly 300 passing yards per game.

If we’ve learned one thing through the last two years it’s Wisconsin’s ability to beat inferior opponents. Ranked matchups? Those have gone in the loss column. But the Badgers haven’t had trouble defeating unranked opponents and sub-par defenses since the start of 2020.

Mertz and Ferguson playing is great news for that trend to continue.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

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Illinois Fighting Illini: CFN College Football Preview 2021

College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Illinois season with what you need to know.

College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Illinois season with what you need to know.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Keys To The Season
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Illinois Schedule Analysis
– Illinois Fighting Illini Previews
2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

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2020 Record: 2-6 overall, 2-6 in Big Ten
Head Coach: Bret Bielema, 1st year (97-58 overall)
2020 CFN Final Ranking: 71
2020 CFN Preview Ranking: 70
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 69

Illinois Fighting Illini College Football Preview 2021: Offense

– What’s the Illinois offense going to be under new head man Bret Bielema? Will he try to make it the Champaign version of Wisconsin? Bielema would love to create a pounding attack that controls games, but that’s not going to be the Illini early on. There’s plenty of work to do for an O that averaged just 349 yards and 20 points per game.

Offensive coordinator Tony Petersen is a veteran who’s about getting the passing attack going and coaching up quarterbacks, and …

– The Illinois quarterback situation is a plus. Brandon Peters only seems like he’s in his 14th year of college football, but the 6-5, 220-pound former Michigan transfer has the passing ability to ease the new coaching staff into the first year.

Third-year freshman Isaiah Williams was a super-recruit for the program who finished second on the team in rushing, but he struggled way too much with his accuracy when he got his shot – now he’s listed as a wide receiver. On the way is Artur Sitkowski from Rutgers to make things even more interesting, but he’s likely an option for next year.

There’s an exodus of wide receivers from the program, and there’s going to be an overhaul.

Leading target Josh Imatorbhebhe is a Jacksonville Jaguar, his brother – tight end Daniel Imatobhebehe – left for Kansas State, fourth-leading receiver Casey Washington is on Wake Forest, and 2018 top target Ricky Smalling is in the transfer portal, too.

However, 6-3, 210-pound former Miami transfer Brian Hightower has the size and deep ability to grow into a No. 1 target. 6-4, 250-pound junior TE Daniel Barker was second on the team with 19 catches for 268 yards and two scores, and in comes WR Jafar Armstrong from Notre Dame to potentially make a big splash right away. Throw in former Georgia transfer TE Luke Ford, and there’s sneaky-good talent here.

– The offensive line loses Kendrick Green to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but everyone else is expected to be back on a veteran front full of super-seniors. There isn’t a star like Green – 6-6, 320-pound senior OT Veteran Lowe will be a factor – but there are a whole lot of options to play around with.

It’s a Bret Bielema offense – the running game is going to work.

Chase Brown is a slippery 5-11, 200-pound former transfer from Western Michigan who ran for a team-high 540 yards and three scores, and Mike Epstein is a good veteran who averaged over five yards per carry and led the team with four scores. Chase Hayden was a nice get from East Carolina for the rotation, and 5-11, 190-pound Reggie Love can move.

– What You Need To Know: Defense
– Top Players | Keys To The Season
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Illinois Schedule Analysis

NEXT: Illinois Fighting Illini College Football Preview 2021: Defense

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College Football News Preview 2020: Illinois Fighting Illini

College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, looking ahead to the Illinois Fighting Illini season with what you need to know.

College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Illinois Fighting Illini season with what you need to know.

CFN in 60 Podcast: 2020 Illinois Fighting Illini
2020 Illinois preview in 30 seconds

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– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Illinois Previews 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

2019 Record: 6-7 overall, 4-5 in Big Ten
Head Coach: Lovie Smith, 5th year, 15-34 overall
2019 CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 50
2019 CFN Final Season Formula Ranking: 69
2019 CFN Preview Ranking: 65

NOTE: Obviously, no one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.

5. College Football News Preview 2020: Illinois Fighting Illini Offense 3 Things To Know

– The Illinois offense wasn’t exactly a smoothly run organization. The running game was okay at times, and the passing attack came through late when it had to in a few huge upsets, but for the most part, it was a struggle.

The Illini finished 112th in the nation in total offense, but it made the yards count with a not-awful 26.7 points per game. However, the O almost never had the ball – long, sustained drives were a rumor – and the attack fell flat late in the season.

There’s hope for a boost, though, with four starters back on what should be a good line, a deep group of quarterbacks to play around with, and with almost all of the key targets back. It all starts with …

CFN in 60 Video: Illinois Fighting Illini Preview
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– The quarterback situation. It would’ve been nice to have had a full offseason of practices to come up with a good pecking order, but at least there’s a nice group of options in place.

Former Michigan transfer Brandon Peters was okay last season, but the accuracy wasn’t there and he didn’t do enough to move the chains. Former super-recruit Isaiah Williams got his feet wet, but he only played in four games to preserve his four years of eligibility. Sophomore Matt Robinson stepped in when Peters got hurt.

The receiving corps is there to do a whole lot more, starting with senior Joel Imaorbhebhe – a former USC transfer with next-level upside. In all, five of the top seven targets are expected back, former Miami Hurricanes Brian Hightower should be a factor, former Georgia super-recruit Luke Ford will get his shot at tight end, and the passing game should be more consistent.

– The offensive line didn’t do enough in pass protection, and the running game was just okay, but there’s a lot to like if the all-star parts can stay healthy. Four starters return with at least two years of starting experience – junior Kendrick Green is growing into a star at guard, and center Doug Kramer is strong – and now this has to be a plus.

Top running back Reggie Corbin left early for the NFL – and went undrafted –  and No. 2 guy Dre Brown is done, too. Ra’Von Bonner has seen enough work to get the early call, and 2017 leading rusher Mike Epstein is back after an injury-plagued few seasons. Star recruit Reggie Love might have the door wide open right away for his services.

NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Illinois Fighting Illini Defense 3 Things To Know

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