“Everybody just wants to play a game,” said head coach Bret Bielema.
The fifth-year leader of Illinois and his team are just as anxious for football as Illini fans. Thankfully for everyone, the long wait is over. Illinois starts its season Friday night as 45-point favorites against Western Illinois.
Football’s back
After a record-breaking 2024 season, high expectations weigh on the Illini. If the top-12 ranking wasn’t already enough, many media outlets and fans expect the Illini to find their way to the College Football Playoffs come December.
However, Bielema isn’t thinking too much about that yet. All that’s on his mind right now is football.
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“I just want to get to Friday night,” Bielema said. “I want to play a game, because then you get in your rhythm, get in your role.”
Getting back out on the field gives Illinois a chance to finally see what it’s working with. Training camp shows a lot, but it never compares to the real deal. It was a long offseason, and the Illini didn’t go without some criticism.
Despite bringing back the most players in the Big Ten, the usual offseason noise still surrounded the Illini. Who is starting at receiver and the defensive line’s improvement are popular topics — these questions will all be answered Friday night.
A lopsided matchup
Western Illinois isn’t exactly a tough week-one opponent for Illinois. It went 4-8 last season and lost in an embarrassing fashion against Indiana, the only Power Four team it played. The on-field stats aren’t promising for the Leathernecks either.
They gave up nearly 230 rushing yards per game, making them one of the worst rushing defenses among FCS teams. On the other side of the line, the Illini were in the top half of rushing attacks in the Big Ten.
While the team lost running back Josh McCray, it’s getting back junior running back Kaden Feagin. As he is paired with fellow junior running back Aidan Laughery, Illinois could have one of the better rushing duos in the conference.
With its poor rushing defense, Western Illinois has little hope of stopping the 1-2 punch of Feagin and Laughery.
The best ability
After missing the second half of last season, Feagin is back on the field. He turned heads all summer and is ready to go.
“Kaden looks extremely good,” Bielema said. “He’s very locked into what he’s doing.”
Before his injury last year, Feagin ran for 306 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged over 4.5 yards per carry. With the junior fully healthy, Illinois has a rushing attack that could terrorize opposing defenses.
Another player returning that will greatly help the offense is senior offensive lineman J.C. Davis. The big tackle dealt with a minor injury this offseason but was cleared by Bielema.
“J.C.’s practiced with us all week, so he’s good to go,” Bielema said.
His presence on the field won’t go unnoticed, both in the run game and in protecting senior quarterback Luke Altmyer’s blind side.
Game day
Illinois and Western Illinois will kick off at 6:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. The game will also be streamed live on Peacock.
@ben_some16
