Lunt’s return bodes well for Illini football

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There’s a lot riding on the arm and leg of Wes Lunt. The quarterback will return for Illinois this week and, unless injuries strike again, he will start the Illini’s final three games.

Two wins. That’s what Illinois needs in three games to reach a bowl. But there is so much more riding on it.

The future of his coaches, for one. Being a 22-year-old myself, I wouldn’t want the future of my coaches depending on my performance. If Lunt and his recently healed broken leg give Illinois the best chance to win, then you’ve got to play him.

The defense, on the other hand, is much more broken than Lunt’s fibula was.

Enter the Iowa Hawkeyes.

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Wait, who?

Iowa, you say, I haven’t heard of them. Oh, wait, maybe I have. The Hawkeyes … hmm … yes, I do seem to remember them. They’re not still in the Big Ten are they? Iowa and Illinois haven’t faced each other in a football game since Nov. 1, 2008. 

We can thank conference realignment for that.

Let’s put this little piece of scheduling insanity into perspective. Every team in the 32-team NFL has played every other team in the NFL since then. Many of them have played twice.

If you were a freshman when Iowa came to Memorial Stadium in 2008, you are either a grad student, a seventh-year undergrad, or you are long gone. Nathan Scheelhaase started at quarterback for Illinois for four years and redshirted a year before that — but never played Iowa.

The last time the teams played, my sister was a freshman at Iowa. Now I am a senior at Illinois.

Go figure.

It’s another travesty of the Legends and Leaders divisions. Until this year, these neighboring state schools were in separate divisions

Enough already, you say. I don’t care who this team is. I just want to know if Illinois can beat it.

This one’s a toss up. Iowa lost to Minnesota and beat Purdue. Illinois lost to Purdue and beat Minnesota. Illinois appears to have the upper hand on the offensive end, Iowa on the defensive end.

If Lunt is 100 percent healthy, the Illini might be able to outmatch the Hawkeyes. But Lunt hasn’t been 100 percent healthy since sometime in late September. With Ted Karras out, the offensive line is something of a patchwork job this week and that should be Illinois’ real concern.

But this Iowa team is struggling, too. It surrendered 51 points to Minnesota in its last game. The Hawkeyes’ offense plays best when they have success on the ground and the Illini defense hasn’t been successful stopping the run.

It’s Dad’s weekend in Champaign, but it will be cold. 

For any Illinois fans who can’t remember that 2008 game, Iowa fans travel well. There will be plenty of gold and black around town this weekend.

Illinois can win this game, but as we’ve learned all year long, it’s hard to know what to expect when the Illini take the field against a beatable opponent.

Sean is a senior in Media. He can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @sean_hammond.