Illinois - TeamReport

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[October 07, 2015]  You can argue if you wish (and you might be right) that the Fighting Illini were propped up last week by one of the worst tactical errors in years. You can also opine that their offense should have produced more than 14 points, and you would be right.

But given what Illinois endured the last three years as Tim Beckman steered it into one misadventure after another, you can't debate that its 14-13 win last week over Nebraska was the kind of good fortune every team needs if it's going to have a successful season.

Now 4-1 overall and 1-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since 2011, the Illini step up in class Saturday with a trip to 22nd-ranked Iowa. But they do so this year with the momentum of a dramatic, unexpected win in their hip pocket.

"It's not the gloom and doom normally after our first Big Ten game," interim coach Bill Cubit said. "Now it's been pretty positive. There was a lot of fan interest and a lot of people that I think we're really excited about it so we were really happy for the Illini family."

How happy they'll be by the middle of Saturday afternoon might depend on how Illinois can start the game. Coming off a 10-6 upset win at Wisconsin last week, the Hawkeyes are 5-0 and getting their turn as a flavor of the week nationally.

If the Illini can score first, and perhaps second, they might make the Kinnick Stadium crowd a bit anxious. Of course, scoring first and second might not be so easy against a defense which is allowing just 15.4 points and 299.8 yards per game.

However, the Illinois defense proved up to the challenge of stopping the high-powered Cornhuskers, holding them to 292 yards and 12 first downs. That gave the offense time to construct the fourth quarter rally that stole a much-needed victory.

"Defense, I thought, just played outstanding," Cubit said. "It gave us just enough. More so than just a win, it's how we did it. The resolve, the resiliency of our football team out there."

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NCAAF Team Report - Illinois - NOTES, QUOTES

PLAYERS TO WATCH

--QB Wes Lunt authored the fifth fourth quarter comeback of his year and a half career at Illinois with his last-minute TD drive that stunned Nebraska. Lunt didn't have a great game statistically against the Cornhuskers, hitting only 23-of-45 passes for 251 yards, but threw two fourth quarter TD passes, the last with 10 seconds left to WR Geronimo Allison for the win. Lunt has thrown only two interceptions in 191 passes this year.

--WR Malik Turner hasn't produced as much as he or the coaches would have liked in the season's first five games, but may have turned a corner with a big 50-yard catch on the winning TD drive against Nebraska. That comprises nearly half of Turner's 102 yards through five games, but also serves as a reminder of what he can do. With WR Mike Dudek still out with knee problems, the Illini need more from Turner.

--DE Dawuane Smoot continues to give Illinois the pass-rush threat it needs, recording his fourth sack of the year with a 15-yard trap of Nebraska's Tommy Armstrong. Smoot had just 3 1/2 sacks in his first two seasons, but has played in the opponent's backfield more consistently this year, notching 8 1/2 tackles for loss in five games. Those are the kind of plays the defense hasn't made on a regular basis the last three seasons.

SERIES HISTORY: Illinois leads Iowa 38-30-2 but Iowa captured a 30-14 victory last year in Champaign.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "Just seeing our kids in the locker room, that's why college football is such a great thing, I think, for everybody." -- Illini interim coach Bill Cubit on the last-second win over Nebraska.

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NCAAF Team Report - Illinois - STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

GAME BREAKDOWN

Scouting the running game: With senior RB Josh Ferguson getting just four carries last week before leaving with an injury, freshman Ke'Shawn Vaughn filled in more than adequately with a career-high 98 yards on 24 attempts. Regardless of who runs the ball this week, the yards might be tough to gain as Iowa limits the opposition to 84.4 yards per game. The challenge for Illinois is to not become one-dimensional.

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Scouting the passing game: QB Wes Lunt faces a challenge this week against a solid defense. Lunt hasn't completed as high a percentage as he'd like, but has been careful with the ball, throwing only two interceptions in 191 attempts. His receivers must step up and make plays against the best defense they've seen to this point. Marchie Murdock and Geronimo Allison have been reliable targets in the absence of Mike Dudek.

Scouting the run defense: The Illini have made their most dramatic strides here, improving all the way from 115th to 33rd nationally against the run. This week will provide a challenge as the Hawkeyes will try to overpower them at the point of attack. If the D-line can provide a stalemate, LB Mason Monheim should have plenty of chances to equal his 10 tackles of last week.

Scouting the pass defense: Here's where Illinois shined most last week. CB V'Angelo Bentley limited the Cornhuskers' top receiver, Jordan Westerkamp, to one catch for minus-one yard as the Illini made Tommy Armstrong's life miserable, allowing him to hit only 10-of-31 passes. They enter this week's game ranked 19th nationally in passing efficiency defense and 29th in passing yards allowed per game.

Scouting the special teams: PK Taylor Zalewski had the winning boot for the second straight week, nailing a PAT after the tying TD with 10 seconds left. Illinois continues to make a mark in other areas, as it's tied for the FBS lead in blocked kicks with three and also boasts an elite return man in Bentley. But the punting and punt coverage has left plenty to be desired, and that has to be corrected.

DRAFT PROSPECTS (includes 2016 NFLDraftScout.com rating as applicable):

--RB Josh Ferguson (No. 10 running back, 115th overall) -- Appearing to be on his way to a big game early against Nebraska with 50 yards on four carries, Ferguson had to leave with a shoulder injury. He leads the team in rushing this year but hasn't been as prolific in the passing game with just 12 catches in five games.


--DT Jihad Ward (No. 23 defensive tackle, 269th overall) -- In five games, Ward is fourth on the team in tackles with 22, an impressive total for a down lineman. Ward has just two tackles for loss and a half-sack, but his ability forces offenses to game-plan for him and gives other teammates opportunities to win one-on-one battles that lead to big plays.

--OG Ted Karras (No. 17 guard, 301st overall) -- This week's game at Iowa will mark the 37th career start for Karras, barring an injury or some other unfortunate development during the week. Karras and his fellow starters up front have allowed just four sacks of Lunt through five games, ranking as one of the top pass-protecting lines in the country.

ROSTER REPORT:

--WR Mike Dudek (knee) has been ruled out for a sixth straight game at Iowa Saturday. Interim coach Bill Cubit is hopeful that Dudek could progress enough during Illinois' upcoming bye week to play on Oct. 24 against Wisconsin.

--WR Justin Hardee (foot) will also sit out another game against Iowa. As is the case with Dudek, Cubit is hoping that an off-week next week could enable Hardee to make a comeback for the Wisconsin game.



--RB Josh Ferguson (shoulder) will make the trip to Iowa, but Cubit says it's doubtful that he'll be able to play. Ferguson was injured at the end of a 48-yard run against Nebraska and didn't play for the final three quarters.

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