Players

Mike Dudek

Injury: Torn ACL in the spring

Time lost to injury: Season

Impact: The loss of the sophomore All-American wide receiver has hurt the Illini’s offense. Dudek was second-team All-Big Ten and became the eighth player in school history to catch at least 1,000 yards. The sophomore would be the No. 1 receiver and was expected to have another big year.

Justin Hardee

Injury: Broken foot during the summer

Time lost to injury: Season

Impact: The senior wide receiver would have been another veteran for quarterback Wes Lunt to throw to. He played in all 13 games last season and started in eight. Hardee caught 19 passes for 240 yards and would have been a good option when defenders focused on Dudek and senior Geronimo Allison.

Josh Ferguson

Injury: AC Sprain

Time lost to injury: Four games

Impact: The loss of Ferguson has made Illinois’ offense one-dimensional. Freshman running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn has tried to pick up the slack, but he’s been the main rusher during Ferguson’s absence. Head coach Bill Cubit doesn’t trust the remaining running backs on the roster and Vaughn has been asked of a lot for a freshman, no matter how good of a recruit he was.

Dre Brown

Injury: Torn ACL in the spring

Time lost to injury: Season

Impact: The freshman early enrollee running back was expected to be the No. 2 running back after a strong spring season. Brown showed maturity that the Illini currently need with Ferguson out and Vaughn the only running back that Cubit trusts. He tore his ACL a few days before the annual Spring Game.

Tyler White

Injury: Concussion and torn ACL

Time lost to injury: Four games

Impact: White was expected to be the top tight end after a few graduations and his return from an ACL injury he suffered in December. The tight end position is very important in Cubit’s offense and White had some experience in the offense. But he suffered a concussion against North Carolina and missed the game against Middle Tennessee State before playing a couple game. He then tore his ACL against Wisconsin and is out for the remainder of the season.

Marchie Murdock

Injury: Hip bruise

Time lost to injury: One game

Impact: The receiving corps took another hit when Murdock couldn’t play against the Badgers because of a hip bruise. He injured it at the end of the Iowa game, which forced Cubit to run defensive players Caleb Day and V’Angelo Bentley out on offense. Murdock has been consistent when he has played and stole the show at the beginning of the season but has also fallen victim to dropped passes.

Tim Clary

Injury: Broken wrist, leg injury

Time lost to injury: Four games

Impact: Clary is another tight end who has battled injuries for much of the season. He broke his wrist against North Carolina but recently returned to play with a large cast. The senior suffered a leg injury against Penn State and his status will be determined later in the week. Like White, Clary’s presence is necessary for Illinois’ offense to be successful and to have another passing option.

Henry Enyenihi

Injury: Sprain in the knee

Time lost to injury: Expected to miss game against Purdue

Impact: Cubit has shown that he has no confidence in the junior transfer. Enyenihi hasn’t seen an increase in reps since the injury and Illinois’ offense turned one-dimensional against Penn State when Vaughn struggled to run the ball. An injury to Vaughn would put an end the running game.

Reggie Corbin

Injury: Dislocated shoulder during training camp

Time lost to injury: Season

Impact: Corbin impressed coaches during the spring and was one of the favorites for the No. 2 running back spot before he dislocated his shoulder during Camp Rantoul. He impressed with his speed and vision and seemed like he could compete after Brown tore his ACL. Corbin would’ve been another good option after Ferguson suffered his injury.