For the first time in eight months, Illinois football is back. The Illini open their season at home for the third consecutive year, taking on Toledo on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium to begin the 2023 slate.
The Illini return 10 all-conference players from one year ago, a mark that ranks first among Big Ten West programs. While the team lost key starters on both sides of the ball, Illinois' returning talent – along with a strong group of transfers and true freshmen – has the program on an upward trajectory after an 8-5 campaign in 2022 that culminated in a ReliaQuest Bowl berth.
Toledo, which is squaring off with the Orange and Blue for the first time ever, also returns its fair share of production from its 2022 season, a year in which the Rockets won the MAC Championship, finished 9-5, and secured a victory in the Boca Raton Bowl.
Saturday's visitors, led by head coach Jason Candle, return seven All-MAC players and were voted as the preseason favorite to win the MAC West Division for the second straight season.
"I'm obviously excited to get to game week," said head coach Bret Bielema. "There's been a lot of build-up and a lot of things from last spring. To go through the spring, to go through the summer, to go through fall camp, I couldn't be more excited. I know as a head coach going into my 15th year, every season is just a little bit different, but these guys have really been a joy to work with.
"Coach Candle has done a tremendous job ever since he took over and has won more games than anybody else. We have a very difficult task in front of us, one that I think our guys are excited to play."
Looking to begin 1-0 for the third time under Bielema, the Illini will don their new threads in front of a packed home crowd. As we gear up for the start of a new season, here are a few storylines to watch ahead of Saturday night's contest.
Illinois offense features changes at quarterback, running back, offensive line
The Illini offense improved drastically in 2022 under offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr., though two key pieces of that group – quarterback Tommy DeVito and running back Chase Brown – left the program to pursue opportunities in the NFL. With 2022 starting offensive linemen Alex Palczewski and Alex Pihlstrom also no longer with the team, Illinois' starting 11 on offense will look different than it did one year ago.
Luke Altmyer, who was named the team's QB1 on Aug. 21, arrived in Champaign ahead of spring ball, giving him several months to establish chemistry with a talented and dynamic group of Illini receivers. Though he has limited starting experience from his time at Ole Miss, the Illinois coaching staff feels comfortable with the Starkville, Mississippi, native leading the offense.
Brown's departure has created big shoes to fill after the Cincinnati Bengals running back totaled over 1,000 yards on the ground in each of his final two seasons in Champaign. Illinois did not have to look far to find their leading options this year, though, as Reggie Love III and Josh McCray are back to lead the running back room.
Love, the team's leading returning rusher, primarily featured as the secondary option last season, recording 330 yards and two touchdowns on 71 carries in 2022. McCray missed a majority of last season with injuries after a breakout freshman campaign in 2021, a year in which he amassed 549 yards on the ground and two scores.
Along with redshirt freshman Aidan Laughery and true freshman Kaden Feagin, the Illini boast several threats in the backfield.
Bielema announced his starting five on the offensive line on Thursday, a group that includes three returning starters and two underclassmen who played primarily on special teams last season. Isaiah Adams, Julian Pearl, and Zy Crisler proved to be mainstays on the o-line that finished as a Joe Moore Award semifinalist in 2022. The emergence of sophomores Josh Gesky and Josh Kreutz will help the Illini offensive line re-establish itself as one of the best units in the country.
With the run game a central part of Lunney's offense from a season ago, Illinois will try to continue its upward momentum and take advantage of its diverse offensive threats in 2023. Whether it's through the air with Altmyer and a plethora of reliable receiving options or on the ground with the Illini's running-back quartet, Bielema feels good about where his team stands heading into Saturday night.
"It's really a fun time in our building," Bielema said. "To be in the Smith Center every day, it's probably one of the most enjoyable atmospheres I've ever been in as a head coach. It's a lot of fun. We haven't lost a game, so everybody's happy, but it's just a really cool building to be in."
New leadership, secondary options signify transition in Illini defensive unit
Touting the top scoring defense one season ago, Illinois heads into the 2023 campaign with sky-high expectations for its defensive unit. Under the leadership of Aaron Henry, who previously spent two seasons as the program's defensive backs coach, Illinois returns several All-Big Ten starters and lots of depth.
Arguably the biggest news for Illinois football ahead of the 2023 season was the return of defensive linemen Jer'Zhan Newton and Keith Randolph Jr. Both named to All-Big Ten teams following career-best campaigns in 2022, the duo headlines a dominant defensive front that features several familiar faces.
With the likes of Tarique Barnes, Seth Coleman, Gabe Jacas, and more all suiting up for the Orange and Blue on Saturday, the Illini are looking to improve upon their already impressive stats from last year.
While the front seven features only a few new names, the secondary lost three big names, all of whom were selected in the NFL Draft: Sydney Brown, Jartaviuis Martin, and Devon Witherspoon. While Tahveon Nicholson started 10 games in 2022, the rest of the secondary has seen fairly limited action.
Xavier Scott, Tyler Strain, and Miles Scott each have one start under their belt at the college level, though the trio will all likely get significant playing time in the Illini defense this season. Miles Scott's lone start came at wide receiver, and he made the transition to safety during the spring. Bielema tabbed Miles Scott as the team's starting safety during his media availability on Thursday.
"We tried to put him at corner, but I told those guys, 'He's a safety, he's a safety, he's a safety,'" Bielema said. "Once we put him there, it was even more natural. He's just instinctive. He runs. Because of his offensive background, I think he understands concepts and routes a little bit better."
Senior Clayton Bush, who transferred to Champaign after spending the last three seasons at Southern Illinois, also was named to the starting lineup in his first year with the Orange and Blue. His athleticism and ball-hawking abilities made him stand out among the rest of the group, while he already has five career interceptions from his time in Carbondale.
"Clayton is incredibly athletic," Bielema said. "He's just got a really good knack for seeing the ball and breaking, and he's a really tough kid."
Bielema also mentioned Nicario Harper, Demetrius Hill, and Mac Resetich as other guys who will take on big roles within the new-look Illinois secondary. As Henry enters his first season as the team's defensive coordinator, Illinois has all the pieces it needs to replicate and build on last year's success.
Toledo offense, including two 2022 All-MAC returners, provides early test for Illini defense
The Rockets averaged 31.3 points per game in 2022, a figure that ranked second in the MAC. A big reason behind that offensive success was quarterback Dequan Finn, who was a second-team All-MAC honoree one season ago. A true dual-threat quarterback, Finn has notched over 500 yards on the ground and 2,000 yards in the air in each of the last two seasons.
His 2022 campaign proved to be the best of his career, as he tallied 631 rushing yards, nine rushing touchdowns, 2,260 passing yards, and 23 passing touchdowns, all of which were career-high marks. Eclipsing 200 passing yards on five different occasions last season, Finn will prove a stark challenge in the Illini's season opener.
Finn did not do it alone, though, as he established a dominant connection with wide receiver Jerjuan Newton, a second-team All-MAC selection and the older brother of Illinois' Jer'Zhan Newton. Jerjuan Newton finished his 2022 campaign with a career-high 830 receiving yards and nine touchdowns, marks that ranked sixth and joint-third in the MAC, respectively.
Alongside All-MAC first-team offensive lineman Nick Rosi, the likes of Finn and Newton will headline an extremely talented Rocket offense that will come to Champaign looking to pull off an upset on Saturday night.
"Toledo, we refer to them as the MAC champs," Bielema said. "There's no denying what they've done, and what they've been able to do in college football has been pretty impressive. It's going to be a tremendous task in front of us right away."
