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DeVito was announced as the starter on Thursday, but given how
second-year coach Bret Bielema likes to play the game, it
probably didn't matter whether Syracuse transfer DeVito or
returnee Artur Sitkowski got the call.
The Fighting Illini are going to be a run-first team, just like
Bielema's teams were at Wisconsin and Arkansas. And with the 1-2
punch of junior Chase Brown and sophomore Josh McCray, why not?
Brown picked up 1,005 yards last year, averaging nearly six
yards per carry, while McCray added 549 and averaged almost five
yards an attempt. And they could have been even better had
Illinois gotten more accurate passing from Sitkowski or Brandon
Peters, who combined to hit just 52.3 percent of their 317
attempts.
If DeVito can be at least efficient/adequate, the Illini could
improve from a 5-7 mark last year.
"We know who the guys are," Bielema said after his team's final
preseason scrimmage on Aug. 19, before announcing his starting
QB. "I think there are still some battles offensively and
defensively."
Wyoming is coming off a 7-6 season that included a 52-38 win
over Kent State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, enabling it to
close on a winning note. The Cowboys have been projected for a
fifth-place finish in the Mountain West Conference's Mountain
Division, where Boise State and Air Force are picked to finish
1-2.
Wyoming boasts a good running back in junior Titus Swen, who
gained 785 yards and averaged nearly six yards per attempt last
year. Its leader on defense is linebacker Easton Gibbs, a
sophomore who's the team's top returning tackler after notching
90 in 2021.
Cowboys coach Craig Bohl was pleased with his offensive line in
the preseason.
"We're making some progress there -- enough that we're going to
be able go into the Illinois game and finalize our depth chart
without having a lot of musical chairs," he said.
Saturday is the first matchup between the schools.
--Field Level Media
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