Hoosier Huddle's Week 11 Game Day Primer: Indiana Hoosiers at illinois Fighting Illini
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Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)
What: Indiana Hoosiers (3-6) at Illinois Fighting Illini (4-5)
When: Saturday, November 11 at Noon
Where: Memorial Stadium in Champaign, IL
How to Watch: The game will be broadcast on BTN and can be heard on the IU Radio Network.
Series History: Illinois and Indiana have played 72 times with the series beginning in 1899. They have played sparingly since the two split into different divisions but the Hoosiers have won four games in a row. Illinois has not beaten IU since 2011. The Illini gave Bill Mallory a lot of trouble, beating the Hoosiers best coach eight times to just one win for Mallory. The most recent meeting between the two sides was last season in Bloomington as the Hoosiers beat Illinois in an emotional opening-week game.
What’s at Stake: The victory over the Wisconsin Badgers kept hope alive for another week. The Indiana Hoosiers have three wins and need to run the table to make a bowl game with Saturday’s clash at Illinois potentially the most difficult to win of the remaining three. IU closes with Michigan State and Purdue and winning at Illinois would make a bowl game a realistic possibility for Indiana. Illinois is a similar boat. They have a far-fetched possibility of still winning the Big Ten West but the more immediate goal is for the Illini to reach bowl eligibility. A win over Indiana would give them five wins and they would then only need to split the final two games (Iowa and Northwestern) to make it to back-to-back bowl games.
A FEW THINGS TO LOOK FOR
Contain Johnny Newton
Jer’Zhan Newton, better known as Johnny Newton, is the best defensive player for the Illini and he has a profound impact on the quality of their defense. Newton is a defensive tackle that can create havoc by getting into the opponent’s backfield to break up run plays or by generating pressure in the middle of the pocket. He elevates the other defensive linemen and secondary and the Hoosiers will need to figure out ways to prevent him from taking over the game. IU’s offensive line suffered when Khalil Benson exited the Wisconsin game near halftime. Indiana’s offense was completely non-existent as the team tried to figure out some solutions with a reworked line. If Benson plays, can IU recapture the offensive rhythm they had in the first half against the Badgers and against Penn State? Can they prevent Newton from getting penetration and disrupting things? If Benson does not play, how does Rod Carey work around that?
Third Down Is Critical
Both Indiana and Illinois play at a slower tempo and are playing games where points do not come in bunches. That means third down conversions are going to be a critical part of this contest. The Illinois Fighting Illini are 108th in the country in opponent third-down conversion, allowing 44.44% of attempts to be converted. IU is 75th, allowing 39.81% of attempts. The teams are nearly flipped in offensive third down conversions with Indiana ranked 116th and Illinois ranked 69th. The team that bucks a trend and wins on third down will be in great shape to prevail.
Injuries
For the second straight week, injuries at offensive skill positions will be important to watch. Illinois starting quarterback Luke Altmyer left last week’s game late and the Illini have been without running back Reggie Love III. Altmyer is expected to “be involved in some aspect” according to an evasive Bret Bielema and Love has been practicing so this does not appear to be a situation like Wisconsin faced when playing IU last week. Altmyer has thrown ten interceptions and the Illini are minus-six in turnover margin so IU’s defense will need to pick up where it left off last week.
The Hoosiers will be closely monitoring the availability of offensive lineman Khalil Benson.
Links From the Week
Know Your Opponent: Illinois Fighting Illini
Hoosier Huddle Podcast Episodes
Matchup to Watch: Indiana’s Secondary vs. Illinois’ Isaiah Williams