After a dominant Week 1 win, No. 11 Illinois (1-0) now faces a much tougher test in the Duke Blue Devils (1-0).
In its first game away from Champaign this season, Illinois contends with Duke’s gunslinging redshirt sophomore quarterback Darian Mensah on the field and a Blue Out crowd off it.
“There’s obviously some nerves going on the road, but I don’t think anything really changes,” said sophomore linebacker Joe Barna. “We’re going to go and play our ball.”
Rushing attack
Duke conceded 163 rushing yards to Elon (0-1) last week, meaning Illinois’ chances could depend on its running backs.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
Junior running back Aidan Laughery had the best Week 1 out of the group, totaling 101 yards and twice finding the endzone. Junior running back Kaden Feagin and sophomore running back Ca’Lil Valentine also performed well, with each averaging 5.7 yards per carry.
“To me, it’s 1A, 1B, 1C,” said head coach Bret Bielema of the three running backs. “The style of those three gauges when and where they go.”
Even if the Duke defense can quiet senior quarterback Luke Altmyer, Illinois has a strong ground game to fall back on.
Mensah-mania
While the Blue Devils had their share of defensive struggles early, they had no issues under center. Quarterback Darian Mensah looked every bit like the $8 million investment that Duke made.
The redshirt sophomore torched the Phoenix for 389 yards and three touchdowns while going 27-for-34 on passing. The Illinois defense, however, is up to the challenge of playing against him.
“He’s a good player,” Barna said. “I think we got some tricks up our sleeves for him.”
Mensah’s performance proved he has a strong arm, but Bielema also lauded the quarterback’s ability to move out of the pocket and improvise.
“I think we’ll get a little bit of everything,” Bielema said. “Just a lot of different things that he brings to the table that are difficult to defend.”
Road trip
The Illini haven’t tangled with the Blue Devils since 1965 and haven’t made the trip to Durham since 1958. When Illinois returns Saturday, it’ll have to tune out a rowdy Duke crowd energized by a Blue Out. Bielema is hoping that the experience will bring the team closer together.
“Going on the road allows you to come together as a group,” Bielema said. “It has a chance to bond you together, to play in an environment and atmosphere that is new and foreign.”
This is the first trip of the season, but it won’t be the last. Illinois travels to play No. 23 Indiana, Purdue, Washington and Wisconsin in the coming weeks. The Illini will learn a lot about their chances in those games on Saturday.
“I’m excited because it’s the first time we get to go on the road with this crew,” Bielema said. “We’ve got some big ones coming up down the stretch, and for us to be better our next road game against Indiana, we’ve got to be really good this week to set the bar.”
@BrendanGallian
