Illinois vs. Indiana
Ron Zook seems to be on the hot seat every year, but his Fighting Illini are off to a very impressive start in 2011. Illinois is unbeaten, and they certainly have been one of the bigger surprises in college football so far this year.
Indiana has a new coach in Kevin Wilson, but it has been the same problems so far this year for the Hoosiers football team. Can Indiana get off the mat at home against Illinois?
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Memorial Stadium
Saturday October 8, 2:30 PM EST
NCAA Football Odds from JustBet
Moneyline: Off
College Football Spread: Illinois -14.5 (-110) Indiana +14.5 (-110)
Over/Under: 53
Nathan Scheelhaase is one of the more underrated starting quarterbacks in college football right now. Scheelhaase is just a sophomore, but he has really raised his level of play this season. He is completing 69% of his passes compared to just 59% last year. Each game Scheelhaase is becoming more comfortable throwing the football, which makes him even more dangerous because of his dual-threat skills. Troy Pollard has emerged as a major threat in the backfield for Illinois. He is averaging 9.6 yards per carry in limited action this year. A.J. Jenkins is a star at the wide receiver spot, but Illinois lacks depth on the outside.
The Fighting Illini defense has been the real standout so far this year. After losing Martez Wilson and Cory Liuget most people thought this defense would suffer quite a bit this year. So far this year the Fighting Illini have been terrific against the run and solid against the pass. This is a defense that is allowing just 17.4 points per game. The defense will be without its second-leading tackler, Jonathan Brown, in this game. He is suspended for the game. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Indiana has a real controversy at the quarterback position. Edward Wright-Baker and Dusty Kiel are locked in a battle to be the team’s signal caller. The biggest problem is that neither of them has been very good this year. This Hoosiers offense is much weaker than it was last year. In fact, they are averaging just 24 points per game this year. They need to find a way to get the ball to Demarlo Belcher more often.
The Indiana defense was a real problem last year, and that continues to be the case this season. The defense did play much better last week at home against Penn State, and they’ll look to build on that momentum in this one. The run defense has been the biggest issue for Indiana, as evidenced by the fact that they gave up 226 rushing yards against lowly North Texas. Can Indiana keep Illinois from running the ball down their throat?
Indiana’s defense has been significantly better at home, and Illinois has a very stout defense right now. I don’t expect either team to put up too many points in this one. Illinois should win this one, but I think the best play here is the under.
Free College Football Pick: Under 53
Score Prediction: Illinois 27 Indiana 14
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