On a three-game winning streak, Illinois returns to Memorial Stadium against Iowa on Saturday night under the lights at 6:30 p.m. CT.
The Fighting Illini head into the Big Ten West matchup with a 4-1 record, the team's best start since 2015, while the Hawkeyes sit at 3-2. Both teams are 1-1 in conference play mid a six-way tie atop the Big Ten West standings.
Saturday marks the Illini's first Big Ten home game of the season, and they will look to snap an eight-game losing skid against the Hawkeyes dating back to 2008.
With kickoff around the corner, here are three storylines to watch on Saturday night.
Offense: Getting receivers involved
Through five games, 13 different Illinois receivers have recorded at least one catch, while the team averages 8.6 different receivers with a reception per game this year. While Isaiah Williams leads the Illini in receptions (35), the starting trio of Williams, Brian Hightower, and Pat Bryant has combined to average 14 catches and over 100 yards per game.
The involvement and incorporation of tight ends in the offense have also played a big role in the offense's success, as Tip Reiman, Michael Marchese, and Luke Ford all have at least five catches this season.
Iowa ranks fifth in the Big Ten in passing defense, allowing an average of 161.6 yards through the air. In the Hawkeyes' last two games, the Iowa defense has allowed 227.5 passing yards, a number the Illini have eclipsed twice this season. Illinois only needed 167 passing yards against Wisconsin, but getting multiple receivers involved in the aerial game will be important against a dynamic Iowa defense.
Defense: Getting to the quarterback
Through five games, Iowa has allowed 13 sacks, which ranks second-to-last in the Big Ten, while Illinois leads the conference in sacks with 16, including 10 in its last two games.
Jer'Zhan Newton, Keith Randolph Jr., and Gabe Jacas are all tied for fifth in the Big Ten in sacks with 3.0 each, while Newton leads the country in quarterback pressures (28). Putting pressure on Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras, who has completed 55.2% of his passing attempts this season, will be a focal point on Saturday night.
"Our players are playing at a high level because they're taking coaching and they're applying it to the practice field," Bielema said. "When they apply it to the practice field, practice habits become game-day reality, and game-day reality gives you game-day results, and game-day results are what we're looking for. There's a lot of that going on in our building right now."
Know the foe: Iowa defense
Though the Iowa offense has had its ups and downs, the Hawkeye defense remains one of the most talented and efficient units in the nation. Allowing an average of just 10 points per game, the Iowa defense has been a big reason why the visitors head to Champaign with a 3-2 record.
In the Hawkeyes' three wins, they have allowed just 13 points, while their 92.8 rushing yards allowed and 161.6 passing yards allowed per game rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in the conference heading into Saturday night.
Though Iowa averages 16.4 points per game, its defense has been the "it" factor, and Illinois willl need to come out clicking through the air and on the ground to take down the Hawkeyes.
"Iowa is a good program," Bielema said. "I've been in that locker room as a player, as a coach. I have a lot of great relationships with people in that room, but when I took this job, I knew that they were a team in the Big Ten West that was traditionally always in the hunt. Obviously this is a big game, but none of those teams of the past is showing up on Saturday; it's the 2022 crew.
"It's about how we handle the moment. It's at 6:30 Saturday night in an environment that hopefully is going to be very, very live, and I'm excited to see the competition."
