Nebraska Opponent Spring Review: Illinois
Nebraska’s first offseason under new head coach Matt Rhule is fully underway. With that, it’s time to look at where things stand with the Huskers’ upcoming opponents following spring practices.
We continue our series with Illinois, who Nebraska plays on Friday, Oct. 6 in Champaign, Illinois. The Fighting Illini are coming off of an 8-5 season and a bowl game appearance in 2022.
HuskerOnline caught up with Illinois expert Brian Barnhart, the Fighting Illini’s play-by-play announcer for football and basketball. Barnhart gave the scoop on Illinois’s spring and his insight into their 2023 season.
Previous Opponent Spring Reviews: Minnesota | Colorado | Northern Illinois | Louisiana Tech | Michigan |
QB transfer Luke Altmyers’ job to lose
Illinois lost a lot of talent to the NFL this off-season. One of those players included starter quarterback Tommy Devito. The Syracuse transfer led the Illini to an 8-5 season in Head Coach Bret Bielema‘s second season at Illinois.
They were 7-1 heading into November and had an opportunity to win the Big Ten West. However, Illinois lost four of its last five games, including their bowl game against Mississippi State.
With the loss of Devito, Bielema brought in Ole Miss QB transfer Luke Altmyer.
“So there’s a bit of a quarterback competition, although I think that based on the spring, it looks like Luke Altmyer is going to be the starter,” Barnhart said. “I would think if I had to bet today.”
At Ole Miss, Altmyer played as the backup quarterback in five games as a freshman in 2021. During his sophomore season, he played in four games, with one start, then redshirt for the rest of the season. In 2022, he went 8-of-17 for 125 passing yards and two touchdowns.
However, Barnhart also said redshirt freshman Donovan Leary is in the QB competition.
“Donovan Leary is another quarterback they really like,” Barnhart said. “They brought in the young man from the Mid-American Conference, whose grandfather was a football player at Illinois, kind of a legacy transfer that came in from Ball State. So those guys are all competing. But I think right now it’s probably Altmyers job to lose.”
Bret Bielema, Illinois agree on new six-year contract through 2028, raise to $6 million annually
Can the defensive line live up to the hype?
Illinois has one of the top returning defensive line groups in the country. On3 ranked them as the No. 3 returning defensive line room in College Football.
They return juniors Keith Randolph Jr. and Jer’Zhan “Johnny” Newton. Illinois fans call the duo “the law firm of Newton and Randolph.”
“The fact that those guys did not turn pro is a big, big story,” Barnhart said. “And for a defense that was ranked at the top of the Big Ten in a lot of categories last year, and among the top five in the country in a lot of categories, that’s a big story.”
Illinois’s defense ranked No. 3 in the NCAA in yards allowed per game with a 273.5 average. They led the country with 32 turnovers recovered and were 10th in rushing defense with 99.8 yards allowed per game last season.
Newton was named the No. 1 returning defensive tackle in the nation, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). He made the All-Big Ten first team in 2022 and Randolph landed on the third team.
Having their top two defensive lineman back is definitely a huge get for Bielema and the Illini defense.
Replacing the NFL talent in the secondary
Illinois’s secondary was also a huge part of their top-tier defense in 2022. However, Bielema has a lot to replace in the secondary, as many of their stars went to the NFL. Three were drafted and a few others signed as free agents.
Cornerback Devon Witherspoon was selected as the fifth overall pick of the NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. He was the first defensive back to be selected.
Quan Martin was selected by the Washington Commanders in the second round as the No. 47 overall pick. Safety Sydney Brown completed the trio and was taken by the Philadelphia Eagles as the No. 66 overall pick in round three.
“What was the strength of their defense last year, in particular, in the secondary with all the experience with guys that had played just about every game since they were freshmen,” Barnhart said. “They’re going to have to fill those holes.”
A few of the defensive backs sat out during Illinois’s bowl game against Mississippi State in Tampa.
“These other guys had to step in, guys like Xavier Scott and Tyler Strain and some others,” Barnhart said. “They brought in a couple more as well transfers and guys from other schools.”
Illinois added safety Demetrius Hill from FIU on May 13th to add depth and experience to their room. Hill was named to the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) Freshman All-American Team in 2022. He was the second FIU player to earn the honor.
Early outlook on Nebraska vs. Illinois
Nebraska and Illinois don’t meet up Oct. 6, which will give Bielema and Illinois a few games to see what Rhule’s Husker team will look like.
“From an Xs and Os standpoint, I think for Illinois, since this game is a little later in the season, they’ll have a chance to see a little bit about what Coach Rhule is doing and what their Xs and O’s strategy is when it comes to offense and defense,” Barnhart said. “Right now, I hated to play Nebraska early this fall, because you don’t know what you’re gonna get.”
He said that Bielema has an advantage when he started at Illinois in 2021 because his opponents didn’t know what his new offense or defense would look like. Barnhart says Nebraska and Rhule will have that advantage early this season as well.
“(Illinois) had the element of surprise and I think they were able to beat Nebraska in a situation like that in Bret Bielema’s first game,” Barnhart said. “So the element of surprise may not be as big this time, but I think a lot of people will be anxious to see as Nebraska tries to get back on track to where they were.
“It’s gonna be a little while before they can get back to the level they were at the championship level, but they can certainly compete in the Big Ten West, I think, in the shorter order.”
2023 win-loss expectation for Illinois
In 2021, Bielema and Illinois surprised their fans with a 5-7 season, Barnhart said. Many thought they would win two or three games in Bielema’s first season as Illinois’s head coach. Last season, the Fighting Illini went 8-5 but were 7-1 heading into December and had a chance at the Big Ten West title.
Illinois’s success in 2022 has raised expectations for them.
“I think a lot of alumni fans are thinking, “Hey, what easily could have been 10 or 11 wins with some games they gave away,” Barnhart said. “They lost to Indiana and a game they just flat-out gave away at the end.”
The Illini lost four games by a total of 20 points during the regular season. All four of them were decided by one score.
“You could look at other close games and say, “Yeah, they could have lost,” but I think the expectations are, “Hey, this team could win seven, eight games again,” he said. “And maybe they could sneak another one in.”
Just like usual, Barnhart thinks the competition in the Big Ten West will be very tight and that there isn’t a clear winner at this point.
“Some of the games in the Big Ten West, I think are coin flips, frankly,” he said. “I think it’s gonna be a lot like last year, could be win eight or nine, but if you’re not careful, you may win six or seven. So Illinois is gonna be in a lot of close games. I think it’s gonna be similar.
“Those things we talked about earlier with the defense replacing the secondary, how good will the defensive line be and the quarterback question getting those settled, I think all kind of factor into how many wins. But I think people’s expectations have certainly risen. Season ticket sales are way up. I think people are excited about what Bret Bielema is doing and hopefully, he can continue that momentum.”
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