After dismantling Duke (1-1) 45-19, No. 9 Illinois (2-0) is heading back home. It will take on Western Michigan (0-2) Saturday night in front of a sold-out crowd. The Illini have had plenty of success through two games, and they’ve been rewarded with a top-10 ranking.

As Illinois keeps rolling, here are three things to keep an eye out for against Western Michigan.

Emerging name in ground game

After a slow first half against Duke, Illinois’ run game picked up. Led by junior running back Kaden Feagin, the Illini finished the game with 123 rushing yards. Despite Feagin leading the team in rushing yards, it was sophomore running back Ca’Lil Valentine who drew attention.

Even with just six carries, Valentine ran for 44 yards, only four short of Feagin, who had over double the carries. The sophomore has impressive speed and used it to his advantage. 

“He’s a lot more confident and comfortable out there,” said junior running back Aidan Laughery about Valentine.

Valentine could see an increased role on Saturday. He’s a big play threat whenever the ball is in his hands, and he’s had a few big runs already this season. Watch for a big breakout play from Valentine against a lesser Western Michigan defense.

Dixon is due

Coming into the season, wide receiver depth was a big question. However, just two games in, it may have already been answered. Senior wide receiver Hank Beatty has been outstanding, both as a receiver and returner.

While Beatty has emerged as a top receiver, junior wide receiver Justin Bowick has shown himself to be a trusted red zone target. He already has three touchdowns, all of which came in the red zone.

One receiver that hasn’t seen the spotlight as much is sophomore Collin Dixon. He has just four catches for 44 yards this season, but the stat sheet doesn’t tell the whole story. 

Against Duke, Dixon was targeted nearly 10 times. However, many of the passes were slightly off from senior quarterback Luke Altmyer. That led to a lot of incompletions and just three catches for Dixon.

The game against Western Michigan could be a chance to bounce back for Altmyer and Dixon. The 6-foot-1 receiver played in every game last season and saw his usage go up last week. Like Valentine, Dixon is a candidate for a big game on Saturday.

“His time is coming,” Beatty said about Dixon. “He could just explode for a bunch of catches and a bunch of yards … he’s a hard worker, so it’s only a matter of time.”

Is two better than one?

The Broncos’ offense presents a unique scheme. They use two quarterbacks interchangeably. Redshirt sophomore Broc Lowry and junior Brady Jones take turns running the offense.

“They play two quarterbacks,” said linebackers coach Archie McDaniel. “But structurally, schematically, you’re going to see some of the same things.”

In the first two games, Jones has thrown for over 100 yards and a touchdown, while Lowry has rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns. They both feature unique skills, but that doesn’t change the game plan for Illinois much.

“We can’t try to beat two different people,” McDaniel said. “We have to be the same group, first down, second down, third down, no matter what the situation is, and just react to what we see.”

After forcing five turnovers against the Duke offense and slowing down sophomore quarterback Darian Mensah, Illinois shouldn’t have too much trouble taking on Western Michigan’s offense.

First of many

Saturday’s game is the first sellout of the season for Illinois. The newly-named Gies Memorial Stadium will be completely full for the top-10 Illini. The game kicks off at 6 p.m. and will be on FS1 for those who were unable to secure tickets.

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