Middle Tennessee @ Illinois preview

Illinois’ rousing 2-0 start to the season in which it outscored its opponents 96-3 came to a screeching halt last week with a 34-point road loss to North Carolina. Now the Illini return home to try to get some of their mojo back when they face high-scoring Middle Tennessee on Saturday.

The Blue Raiders reached the 70-point plateau for the second time this season with a home victory over Charlotte and will give the Illinois defense quite a test. A big part of the Illini’s success this year has been their defense, which is tied for seventh in the country with six interceptions, compared to seven for all of 2014. Offensively, coach Bill Cubit will try to keep Middle Tennessee’s offense off the field by relying on a ground game led by Josh Ferguson (248 yards, three touchdowns). Blue Raiders redshirt freshman Brent Stockstill is the quarterback for father Rick Stockstill’s squad, and is putting up great numbers, throwing for 369 yards and five touchdowns last week.

TV: 4 p.m. ET, ESPNews. LINE: Illinois -6.5

ABOUT MIDDLE TENNESSEE (2-1): The Blue Raiders likely couldn’t be happier with the team’s offensive output this season, with two 70-point performances sandwiching 10 points against Alabama. Middle Tennessee ranks 17th in the nation in total offense, averaging 525 yards, and offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner is looking for his unit to keep up the fast pace. “Our tempo has been good, and at times it has been really good,” Faulkner told the Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Daily News Journal. “We want to continue to pick up the pace and play as fast as we can and wear down our opponent.”

ABOUT ILLINOIS (2-1): After a jolt back to reality with its first loss, Illinois is looking to improve on last week’s performance and try not to let one setback become a losing streak. Cubit points to some missed chances his team had against North Carolina, with little things that can be improved upon to make a difference between a win and a loss. “When you break it down, the biggest things were the lost opportunities,” Cubit told the Champaign News-Gazette. “We dropped nine passes. That’s an issue. We’ve dropped 21 in three games.”

EXTRA POINTS

1. Redshirt freshman WR Richie James leads the Blue Raiders with 22 receptions, which ties him for eighth in the nation.

2. Illinois ranks sixth nationally, giving up one sack through the season's first three games.

3. The Illini are 21-2 in home games during August and September since 2007, the third-best mark in the Big Ten over that span.

PREDICTION: Illinois 28, Middle Tennessee 24