Illinois Fighting Illini 2018 Football Preview

Illinois Fighting Illini 2018 Football Preview

Opening Statement: The Lovie Smith era at Illinois has been an absolute disaster to date. The Illini are coming off of a 2-10 finish last fall, with the lone wins coming against Ball State and Western Kentucky. That is hardly Big 10 material, and this program has largely become a laughing stock in the conference, maybe even more so than Rutgers. At the very least, Rutgers has shown signs of improvement. Illinois football is going nowhere fast, and actually got worse in 2017 than they were during a major disaster season of 2016. The boat is sinking fast, fan apathy is at its worst, and something has got to give.

Breakdown Offense: Illinois was an embarrassment on offense in 2017. They averaged just 15.4 points per game, which was worse than in 2016, when they scores just over 19 points per game. They passed for a miserable 174.8 yards per game, and rushed for just 105.58 yards per contest. Illinois ranked ahead of only Charlotte, Kent State, and UTEP in total scoring, or 127th nationally. They ranked 107th in passing yardage per game, and 123rd in rushing. This is truly what the abyss looks like, folks.

Cam Thomas is projected as the starter at QB, as he attempted 66 passes last fall as a freshman in 4 games. He completed just 42.4%  of his passes and tossed 5 INTs, with zero TD passes. Cam Miller and Charlie Reinkenmeyer were the only other QBs on the spring roster. Three Dual threat QBs are listed for the 2018 recruiting class, none rated higher than a 3 star.

Ra'Von Bonner leads the way at RB after spring ball, and could be joined by Austin Roberts at FB. Bonner played in just 6 games as a freshman last season, but did enough in the spring to come out with the starting job...for now. Mike Epstein led the team in rushing last season in just 5 games of work with 346 yards. Reggie Corbin rushed just 18 times last season, and is in the mix as well, as is Dre Brown. Epstein is probably the best option available heading into the season, but nobody has taken this job by the horns.

Ricky Smalling returns, and led the team with 31 receptions last fall. He averaged 16.45 yards per catch, and is one of the few bright spots on offense. Mike Dudek played in just 7 games as a junior, and is back to start. Carmoni Green is in the mix for a starting spot, as is Trenard Davis. Caleb Reams is the only other experienced receiver on the roster.

Larry Boyd (LT), Alex Palcczewski (LG), Doug Kramer (C), Nick Allegretti (RG), and Vederian Lowe (RT) are the projected starters on the line. Adam Solomon, Jake Cerny, and Andrew Trainer are backup options at the OT spots, while Jake Stover is the reserve at OG. Kurt Gavin backs up at Center.

Breakdown Defense: Illinois allowed 31.5 points per game on defense last fall, and allowed a respectable 199.9 yards passing, but they got hammered against the run to a tune of 218.5 yards per game rushing.

Bobby Roundtree and Isaiah Gay are the staring DEs as we head into the summer. They combined for 8 TFLs last fall, but the staff will be needing more production from each player this fall. Roundtree had 50 total tackles last season, while Gay had just 20 in 12 games. Owen Carney is the backup at DE.

Jamal Milan and Tymir Oliver are the starting DTs heading out of spring. They combined for just 5.5 TFLs last fall. They combined for 56 total tackles. Jamal Woods and Kenyon Jackson provide options off the bench.

Del'Shawn Phillips is back at LB after leading the team with 85 tackles last season. He totaled just 4 TFLs, and really did not have a ton of action behind the line, or in pass defense. Dele Harding returns after recording 32 tackles in 8 games. James Knight steps into a starting role after a solid spring, but finished last fall as a freshman with just 3 tackles. Jimmy Marchese and Marc Mondesir are the key backups.

Cameron Watkins and Nate Hobbs are the projected starters at CB, but combined for just 5 PBUs last fall. Bennett Williams is the starter at SS, and recorded 64 tackles last season. Stanley Green is the FS, and finished with 70 tackles. Dawson DeGroot is the 3rd Safety, but did not have any real production last fall. Dpeth is thin at CB as well.

Breakdown Special Teams: Chase McLaughlin is back at PK after hitting just 12/17 FG attempts last fall. He was perfect on all 17 PATs he tried last fall, which was one of the lowest PAT attempt numbers for any full time kicker in the nation last season.

Blake Hayes showed a bit of promise at Punter last fall as a freshman, as he averaged 41.96 yards per punt.

Hobbs is the kick return man after averaging 23 yards per return last fall, while Dudek returns punts.

Final Analysis: Illinois could absolutely be a bottom ten team in the nation, and maybe could be as low as bottom five. The roster is fairly terrible, the coaching staff is lost in space, and the administration made a knee jerk move in hiring Lovie Smith in the first place. He almost left the program after year one, and his disinterest is palpable. The recruiting class had just one 4 star, and is recruiting like a mid-major program. There is absolutely no buzz around this football team, and if Lovie Smith is back after what should be another fairly terrible season, the entire athletic department should be wiped out and fired. Expect nothing but empty stadiums in Champaign-Urbana this fall.