BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Last Saturday, Indiana picked up its first Big Ten win of the season at home against Wisconsin. Next weekend, the Hoosiers are back on the road to take on the Illini.
Illinois hosts Indiana following a narrow 27-26 win on the road against Minnesota last Saturday. A 46-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback John Paddock to Isaiah Williams with less than a minute remaining clinched the win for the Illini.
The Hoosiers (3-6, 1-5 in Big Ten play) take on the Illini (4-5, 2-3 in Big Ten play) next Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois. Kickoff is set for 12:00pm ET.
Here's a first look at Indiana's week 11 opponent, the Illinois Fighting Illini.
Key Players
- QB Luke Altmyer: The Illinois sophomore signal caller has had a solid season thus far for the Illini. Among Big Ten quarterbacks, Altmyer ranks inside the top five in completion percentage (64.8%), passing yards (1,883) and passing touchdowns (13). Last weekend against Minnesota, Altmyer completed 24 of his 31 pass attempts for 212 yards and a career-high three touchdowns before being forced to exit late in the fourth quarter due to injury. Where, the Starkville, Mississippi native has struggled is taking care of the football. Altmyer has thrown 10 interceptions this season, the most in the Big Ten. Indiana will need to take advantage of former four-star recruit's carelessness through the air on Saturday.
- WR Isaiah Williams: The only receiver in the Big Ten with more receiving yards than Williams this season is Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr. There is no receiver in the Big Ten that has more catches than Williams does at this point in the season. Williams has eclipsed the century mark in receiving yards on three separate occasions this year, including last weekend against Minnesota. Against the Golden Gophers, the St. Louis, Missouri native caught 13 passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns. Despite being his quarterback's favorite target, Williams had just one touchdown entering the matchup with Minnesota. At 5-foot-10, 185 pounds, Williams poses a real threat against an Indiana secondary that has had its fair shares of ups and downs this season.
- LB Dylan Rosiek: Rosiek, the leading tackler for the Illini on the season, does it all for the Illinois defense. The East Lake, Florida native has been able to get into opponent's backfield all season long, Rosiek has four tackles for a loss and two quarterback hurries. The 6-foot-1, 230 pound linebacker has also forced three fumbles this season, demonstrating his playmaking ability. If needed to, Rosiek can drop back into pass coverage as well, the sophomore has two pass breakups on the season.
- DL Jer'Zhan Newton: A likely first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Newton has been described as having "Aaron-Donald-like qualities." Any comparison to Donald means you have to be a pretty special player, and Newton certainly is. The junior has 5.5 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks and has seven quarterbacks hurries this season. Newton leads the Illini defense in all three of those statistics. At 6-foot-2, 295 pounds, there isn't much Newton can't do along the defensive line. He's great at stopping the run and can get to the quarterback with the best of them. He's a game wrecker and one of the most talented players in the Big Ten.
Key Stats
- Illini quarterbacks have been sacked 36 times this season. That is the second most in the Big Ten. On the defensive side, Illinois has recorded the fewest sacks in the Big Ten this year.
- Illinois' run defense has been one of the worst in the Big Ten this season. The Illini rank 12th in rushing yards allowed and fourth in rushing touchdowns allowed in the Big Ten.
- The Illinois defense is allowing 27.6 points per game. Only Indiana and Purdue are worse in the Big Ten.
- The Illini defense is allowing 380.9 total yards per contest this season. That ranks 13th in the Big Ten.
Key Notes
- The last time these two teams met was in week one a season ago, Indiana won that game 23-20.
- Indiana is 25-44-3 all-time against Illinois.
- The Hoosiers opened up as 6-point underdogs on the road against the Illini.
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