Illinois’ first drive of the season in 2012 ended with a 64-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Lankford, and it was the biggest lie I’ve ever been told.

Sitting in the north end zone I was among the faithful of Illini Pride to which I did not belong, and the view was breathtaking — faith affirmed, excitement abound, the glorious Dawn of a New Era. This was to be the Illinois football team: high-powered offense with a defense that was supposed to be even better.

Oh, but it wasn’t, and offensive plays of that caliber didn’t happen for the rest of the year. Mostly because teams stopped completely blowing coverage, as Western Michigan had.

Even in a 44-0 rout of FBS try-hard Charleston Southern, the longest touchdown Illinois notched was from 28 yards out, which would be the closest the Illini offense came to matching the opening heave.

With the removal of the Gonzales-Beatty regime and subsequent recruitment of new offensive coordinator Bill Cubit, a change in the offense is anticipated. And welcomed.

But with wide receiver a continuing question mark for an Illinois team whose leading receiver last season notched just 469 yards and no one on the team had 40 catches, you have to proceed with caution in the passing game.

A winning football team may pass first to get ahead, then run as the game winds down to make a comeback more difficult. It’s a logical truth that this strategy is successful.

But in Illinois’ situation, where they’re likely to win this weekend and find great challenge in the subsequent 11 weeks, it’s imperative to establish a run presence, and flow while you have the upper hand. Donovonn Young has been looked to since his freshman season as a potential playmaker for the Orange and Blue, and yet last year he found himself devoid of carries, regressing from a young athlete with upside to a cog in a platoon with then-freshmen Dami Ayoola and Josh Ferguson.

On a team where neither a single player nor the collective sum of the run game was able to establish itself in an effective capacity, the Illini were outrushed by nearly 800 yards over the season. Young and Ferguson mostly floundered and rarely flourished with no level of consistency, and Ayoola contributed little.

This year, everyone from the platoon is a year older, and diminutive Peoria Richwoods product Kendrick Foster comes in with hopes of seeing the field. Listed at 5-foot-9 on Illinois’ roster, Foster was passed over by other programs because of his stature. And while he doesn’t have Sprolesian speed, he does things you want your running back to do with the ball — finds holes quickly, runs around people when he can, runs at people when he has to.

With four backs, consisting of a freshman, two sophomores and a junior, it seems Young will get first dibs on bearing the brunt of the workload. Young proved he can catch passes out of the backfield, as he led the team with 38 receptions. It’s a valuable option to have, but having that many checkdown throws could be a sign of a quarterback lacking in confidence.

Nathan Scheelhaase’s confidence probably wasn’t helped by the constant insertion of Reilly O’Toole into games. The addition of highly touted freshman Aaron Bailey replaces — and then some — any pressure removed from Miles Osei switching to wide receiver.

The best way to get Scheelhaase in a place of confidence, along with the inherent senior-swagger boost he’ll receive, is to let him lead a successful offense facilitated by the run game.

Instill confidence in Young by giving him carry after carry, spelling him occasionally but not flirting with flipping the depth chart — at least not yet.

Let the run game get established against Southern Illinois, then bring the passing game out of its shell as the game goes on.

Conventional wisdom may tell you to pass first, run later. Conventional wisdom may suggest that if offered a 64-yard touchdown to begin your season, you take it.

But let’s start this season different from last year — with some honesty. And if Illinois is being honest with itself, it realizes its offense has a long way to go. And in making that high climb, the best option is to go from the ground up.

Eliot is a senior in Media. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @EliotTweet.