Illinois @ Iowa preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 15, 2014 ) Iowa 30, Illinois 14

While the Big Ten has two of the top three teams in the country, there’s another conference school looking to move to 6-0 this weekend as Iowa hosts Illinois on Saturday. The Hawkeyes have quietly gone unbeaten and moved back into the Top 25 at No. 23 after a road victory over Wisconsin last week.

But the Illini have also been a pleasant surprise under interim coach Bill Cubit, winning their Big Ten opener over Nebraska to improve to 4-1 for the team’s best start since 2011. Quarterback Wes Lunt has been efficient (58.1 percent completion rate) guiding the Illini offense, and has hooked up with Geronimo Allison 32 times for 453 yards - both Big Ten-highs. He may need to go to the air more against an Iowa defense that ranks 11th in the country in allowing 84.4 rushing yards per game. The Hawkeyes will be looking to bounce back offensively after averaging 37.8 points in their first four games before last week's 10-6 victory.
TV: Noon ET, ESPNU. LINE: Iowa -11


ABOUT ILLINOIS (4-1, 1-0 Big Ten): While the 4-1 start is nice - especially winning the conference opener against Nebraska, what Cubit is most excited about is how his team is winning close games. A week after getting past Middle Tennessee by two points, Illinois rallied for a last-minute victory over the Cornhuskers on Lunt’s touchdown pass to Allison with 10 seconds to play. “I think more so than a win, it’s just really how we did it,” Cubit told reporters. “The resolve, the resiliency of our football team out there.”

ABOUT IOWA (5-0, 1-0): Quarterback C.J. Beathard took a lot of heat against Wisconsin, getting pressured seven times and sacked four times, but was able to get through it and will his team to victory. The junior has shown that kind of toughness throughout his career, giving Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz plenty of confidence in his signal caller. "His poise, he's unflappable thus far. And if you were going to be flappable, that was the time to be right there," Ferentz told reporters. "To go through a game like that, if you can go through those and win, that's a really good thing."

EXTRA POINTS

1. Illinois ranks fourth in the nation in third down conversion defense, allowing 17 first downs in 78 attempts.

2. Iowa is the only school in the country that has yet to allow a rushing touchdown this season.

3. The Illini have won four of their last six conference games; prior to that, they were 1-24 in their previous 25 Big Ten contests.

PREDICTION: Iowa 34, Illinois 21