Illinois Football: 4 notes before the Illini take on the Virginia Cavaliers

Through two games this season, the Illinois football team finds themselves with a .500 record.

A 1-1 start wasn’t ideal, but it also isn’t the worst-case scenario. A 1-0 start to the Big Ten season is a plus, but a tough defeat to UTSA has Illini Nation a bit confused on how to view the Orange and Blue.

There have been some good and bad this season, so I wanted to lay out my thoughts heading into a big game against the Virginia Cavaliers.

Here are four notes before the Illinois football team battles Virginia.

1. Commit to the running game

With the hiring of Bret Bielema as a head coach, I expected Illinois to be committed to the running game. But, oddly enough, the Illini offense leaned on the solid quarterback play of Artur Sitkowski against UTSA.

Moving forward, I would like for the Illini offense to be a more run-heavy squad. That doesn’t mean Sitkowski has disappointed. In fact, I think he has played well. I will get to that later, though.

The reason I want Illinois to rely more on the run is the fact their defense isn’t where it needs to be just yet. I harped on this during the Lovie Smith era as well. If you have a weaker defense, then you need to control the ball more. A solid running game can do the trick.

Illinois gave up 37 points against UTSA, but that number could have been lower if the offense went through the running game. Sitkowski attempted 43 passes in the game last weekend. Did you know that is the most attempts by an Illini quarterback since we lost to Iowa back in 2017? That is a fact, Jack.

This Illini squad shouldn’t have more passing attempts than rushing attempts, especially in competitive games like the one against the Roadrunners. We have a nice stable of ball carriers to lean on. Let’s use them.