Indiana vs. Illinois: By The Numbers

Defense will be at a premium on Saturday with two explosive offenses on the field.

Written By Sammy Jacobs (@sammyj108) 

The Hoosiers and Illini renew their rivalry Saturday at The Rock.  This match-up is a boarder war, which gained some fire after former Illinois quarterback Jack Trudeau got into it with Kevin Wilson on his radio show in 2011.  Let’s dive into some numbers that will define this game.

18- The consecutive Big Ten losses by Illinois, their last conference win was against Indiana on October 8th, 2011.

31-17- The score of the Hoosier victory last year at Illinois.

23-45-2- The Hoosiers record against the Illini all-time.  Illinois leads the series in Bloomington 15-13-1.

9- Consecutive games the Hoosiers have scored over 28 points.  A school record.

3-0- Hoosiers record when holding a lead at halftime in 2013.

42.0- Points per game scored by the Hoosiers.  Good for 2nd in the conference and 9th nationally.

15- Total touchdowns accounted for by Illinois quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase.

3- Illini running backs that have topped 100 yards this year.   This could change against a weak Indiana defense.

8- Illini receivers with over 100 yards this year.  So look for Scheelhaase to target multiple receivers.

507.5- Yards per game given up by the Illini.  The Hoosiers should be able to score at will.

The numbers point to a shoot out on Saturday.  Illinois would like nothing more than to break their losing streak against the hated Hoosiers.  Indiana’s bowl hopes are all but extinguished, but scoring a second Big Ten win and equaling last year’s total would be a great boost to the program.  The Hoosiers have to start beating lesser opponents without issue and establish that they are no longer the very bottom of the barrel in the conference.