by Logan Hanson
FightingIllini.com
Watching the Illini offense this year has been a great experience for Illini fans. The Illini have made tremendous improvements on the offensive side of the ball in numerous categories. Last year, the offense averaged 280.4 yards per game which was good for 126th in the country and this season the offense averages 425.3 yards per game which is 51st in the country, an improvement of nearly 150 yards a game and 75 spots in the ranking.
"It's nice. I always love it. It's awesome when you see that," said sophomore tackle Alex Palczewski. "All of us have worked extremely hard for that, all offseason we grinded and it's just nice to see that actually pay off."
One of the keys to this improvement has been the performance of the rushing attack. The rushing offense last season averaged just 105.6 yards per game and this year it has averaged 262.8 yards a game which ranks eighth in the country. Last season, the Illini's leading rusher gained 346 yards and the team finished with only 1,267 yards on the year, which this year's team has already doubled with 2,628 yards. This season, the Illini produced their first 1,000+ yard rusher since 2010 in junior running back Reggie Corbin and currently own the second best season rushing average in program history trailing only the 1953 team. This can be attributed to the performance of the offensive line, who have started 10 games and played a majority of snaps as a unit.
"It's special. Once you have a relationship once you know what makes these guys tick and what they're about it makes you fight even harder for them," said Palczewski. "You know all the five dudes up there are going to do their job cause you trust them you know what makes them go and once you build that friendship it makes it even better."
Another reason the Illini offense has seen such drastic improvement has been the ability to generate big plays. The Illini lead the nation in rushes over 40+ yards with 14, they are fourth in the nation with scrimmage plays of 60+ yards with nine and have the third most scoring drives of under a minute with 16 such drives. Reggie Corbin has had a knack for generating big plays leading the FBS in runs over 80+ yards, 70+ yards, 40+ yards and 30 + yards while ranking second in runs of 60+ yards and third in 50+ yards while averaging the second highest yards per carry in the nation with 8.87. Senior quarterback AJ Bush Jr. has been equally explosive as he broke the single game Illini quarterback rushing record with 187 rushing yards against Nebraska.
"It meant a lot to be able to do things the right way," said Bush. "When one part of the game is slowed down a bit, it is good for me to be able to go to that and be successful in that way as well."
As well as the players have produced, many of them gave credit to the offensive coaching staff for their performances. Offensive line coach Luke Butkus was mentioned for his ability to coach his group and offensive coordinator Rod Smith was given praise from his players about his scheme and play calling.
"Rod Smith easily," said Corbin on the biggest difference from this year to the last. "His scheme is ridiculous and he does this wherever he goes."
It is clear one year later that the Illini are moving in the right direction offensively. One year removed from a difficult offensive campaign, the offense has been able to rewrite the record book and produce memorable performances. Hopefully Illini fans can look back at this season as just the beginning of something more one year from now.
