Southern Illinois @ Illinois preview
Memorial Stadium
A Big Ten Conference team is usually assured of an easy win when an FCS (1-AA) opponent comes to town.
The drill is pretty simple. The home team plays its starters a little more than a half, rolls up a big lead and then gives the coaches a chance to look at the reserves, who pick up some valuable playing time in the final two quarters.
While that's the way it works most of the time, that theory may go out the window for Illinois when it hosts Southern Illinois on Saturday.
The Illini have several questions marks surrounding the team this season while the Salukis, rated No. 2 in the country in FCS, head into Champaign as a dangerous opponent.
Illinois (0-1) goes into the season with few expectations. The Illini are picked to finish near the bottom of the conference after going 3-9 last season. In fact, Illinois might be hard-pressed to repeat that lowly performance - a long and quick fall for a program that was contending for the league title a few years ago.
Illinois dropped its opener 23-13 to archrival Missouri, blowing a 10-point halftime lead and going scoreless in the second half.
Quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase had a rough day, completing 9-of-23 passes for only 81 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions. Mikel Leshoure gained 112 yards on 20 carries.
The offense, after building a 13-3 lead, stopped producing completely in the final two quarters. Illinois managed four first downs and 85 yards in the second half. The defense gave up 379 total yards, including 281 in the air.
Illinois has also been plagued by off-the-field problems. The Illini will play without defensive lineman Michael Buchanan, who has been suspended indefinitely for violating team rules after being arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence on Sunday.
Buchanan is the third defensive starter Illinois has lost in the last two weeks. Safety Supo Sanni is gone for the season with a torn Achilles’ tendon and cornerback Terry Hawthorne is out until next month with a foot injury.
Southern Illinois (1-0) started the season with a 70-7 over Quincy, an NAIA school. The Salukis led 28-7 at halftime and put up 28 more points on the scoreboard in the third quarter.
Quarterback Chris Dieker threw for two touchdowns while Lucien Walker ran for two scores and gained 144 yards. Shariff Harris also ran for two touchdowns for Southern Illinois, which finished with 307 yards rushing and 496 total yards.
The Salukis will also have the motivation of trying to upset an in-state rival in addition to knocking off a Division I team.