Penn State football will start training camp in a few short weeks and after that the season will quickly arrive. So as July slowly turns into August it is time to look ahead to the opponents the Nittany Lions will face this season. And so here are a few things to know about Illinois.
Offense:
Wes Lunt returning to the quarterback position is good news for the Illini. The bad news is that Illinois was still pretty poor under him and anyone else who has played with head coach Tim Beckman. To be sure, the product has gotten better at Illinois, but the issues haven’t exactly gone away. Losing tight end Joe Davis doesn’t help and the offensive line’s depth is a question mark already. The Illini do return seven starters on both sides of the ball but how good that is for a team that has won four conference games in three years is a valid question.
Defense:
While the offense is still a bit in flux, Illinois is benefitting from a decent amount of depth on the defensive front and growth at linebacker. The problem is that Illinois gave up a ton of points on a regular basis to the tune of 34 a game. Considering that the offense is already on the ropes, a defense that can’t stop its opponents isn’t an ideal situation to be a part of. Allowing 6.01 yards a play was 13th worst in the Big Ten and something that will have to change if Illinois is going to win this year.
Biggest Game:
Illinois’ schedule is a favorable one out of conference, but if the Illini are going to load up on wins in the early going, a win at tougher-than-you-think North Carolina will be crucial in week three. In theory Illinois can start 4-0 before entering Big Ten play, but it is hard to looks at Illinois and ever feel super confident in picking them to win. Winning at Purdue is the only half probable prediction in the win column.
Biggest Storyline:
Tim Beckman could and maybe should have been fired after last season. The question now is what he has to do to either keep his job or make retaining him look like a smart move. Winning in the Big Ten isn’t easy and doing it at Illinois doesn’t help matters any either. That hasn’t always been the case though, so the question is how long Illinois will wait.
Prediction:
Illinois is bad, and unless somebody is hurt for Penn State, the Nittany Lions aren’t losing at home with a chance to go 8-1 or in the very worst 7-2.
