by Lovie Smith is most notably known for his time as the Chicago Bears head coach. He did some great things with that team and even took a Rex Grossman quarterbacked group to the Super Bowl. That alone is a major accomplishment.
Currently, he is still working to turn the Illini program around. Although they have improved, the team has not been able to come anywhere close to the upper echelon of the Big Ten.
In order to have a chance against this Ohio State team, Lovie might need to call up Illini legend Juice Williams.
Instead the team will be looking for a quarterback to fully take control and shine. Their quarterback battle has been a mess and extremely hard to follow. Michigan transfer Brandon Peters was named starting quarterback coming into the season. He had been on the Covid list through the early part of November.
Third-string Matt Robinson then picked up an ankle injury versus Purdue.
Of the four quarterbacks that have played, Coran Taylor is the leader in passing stats. The sophomore has gone 23-46 for 379 yards, 3 TDs and 2 INTs in two games. Fourth-string Taylor was then replaced by official backup Isaiah Williams for the game against Rutgers. Williams had been on the Covid list due to contact tracing with Peters.
Williams did run for nearly 200 yards, yet he was not a passing threat. Peters took over once again last week versus Nebraska and is expected to start again versus the Buckeyes.
Chase Brown has been the impact running back with 61 carries, 357 yards and two touchdowns. Running against Ohio State has been an issue so Brown will have a tall task.
If the Fighting Illini want any success in the game, the receivers need to shine against an OSU secondary looking to bounce back. Josh Imatorbhebhe is the main target with 15 receptions, 215 yards and two touchdowns on the year. Brian Hightower and Donny Navarro will also need to contribute.
The defense will be looking towards their linebackers in Jake Hansen and Khalan Tolson. Both linebackers will be aggressive in the box and make up for the lack of defensive line talent.
The secondary of Tony Adams, Sydney Brown, Nate Hobbs, Derrick Smith and Jartavius Martin will certainly be tested. Not only do they need to cover top tier talent, but also tackle the bowling ball Master Teague in the open field. It’s a very tough test.
