Miami (OH) @ Illinois preview
Memorial Stadium (Champaign, IL)
After having plenty of time to stew over its last loss, Illinois looks to rebound on Saturday afternoon when it concludes its non-conference schedule against visiting Miami (Ohio). The Illini allowed a whopping 615 total yards of offense en route to a 34-24 setback to Washington on Sept. 14. Senior quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase struggled after two stellar games to open the season, completing just 9-of-25 passes for 156 yards.
While Illinois isn't savoring the flavor of its lone loss, Miami has yet to taste victory in three contests this season and is mired in a seven-game losing skid. Whereas the Illini rolled to a convincing 45-17 victory over Cincinnati, the RedHawks mustered all of one net yard in the second half en route to 14-0 loss to the Bearcats last weekend. Miami's new-look option offense has yet to get untracked this season in lopsided losses to Marshall and Kentucky.
TV: Noon ET, Big Ten. LINE: Illinois -24.5.
ABOUT MIAMI-OHIO (0-3): With school passing leader Zac Dysert waiting for a chance with the Denver Broncos, the RedHawks' offense seems to have stalled in his absence. Senior quarterback Austin Boucher, who has completed just 40.4 percent of his passes, is struggling in his first season at the helm - with evidence readily available after his 80-yard, two-interception performance against Cincinnati. The ground game has sputtered as freshman backup quarterback Austin Gearing leads the team with just 59 yards on 20 carries.
ABOUT ILLINOIS (2-1): New coordinator Bill Cubit has seen his offense average 306 passing yards this season - a vast improvement over the 138.83 it pieced together in 2012. Scheelhaase has been a big part of the success as his seven touchdowns already have eclipsed last season's total. Sophomore running back Josh Ferguson (26.4) and senior wideout Ryan Lankford (22.5) rank first and second, respectively, in the Big Ten in yards per reception.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Illinois senior LB and Butkus Award candidate Jonathan Brown leads the Big Ten with 38 tackles.
2. The Illini have yet to leave the state of Illinois this season - with the loss to Washington being played at Soldier Field in Chicago.
3. Illinois hasn't fared well after a bye, losing 10 straight games and 21 of its last 32 since 1985.
PREDICTION: Illinois 35, Miami (Ohio) 7