Illinois might have pulled off a big 42-23 home win against UAB last week, but don’t let that final score fool ya. The defense was on the field for a staggering 85 plays, while the offense barely scraped together 45 snaps. Talk about gassed! UAB controlled the ball for over 41 minutes, leaving Illinois with less than 19 minutes of possession. This massive discrepancy definitely sets up a major challenge this Saturday against the reigning ACC champion Duke Blue Devils.
Tackling Woes Could Sink the Season
Head coach Bret Bielema admitted after the UAB game there were “a lot of things I could have done better” and that “tackling was going to be a little bit of an issue.” Well, it definitely was. UAB’s ground game ran wild, with three different running backs getting over 12 carries and two of them hitting 55 yards or more. If you’re wondering how Illinois let UAB eat up 41 minutes of clock, this is why: they simply could not secure the tackles. That’s a huge problem heading into this weekend, especially when Duke’s coming off a low-scoring 17-3 victory over Tulane where their defense showed out. And even worse, Duke’s RB Nate Sheppard just had a career day against Tulane, rushing for a monstrous 227 yards and two touchdowns. If the Illini defensive line can’t wrap up, Sheppard is going to absolutely feast and it’s gonna be another long, long game for our guys.
Valentine and Laugherty Need to Go Off
Good thing Illinois has some serious juice on offense, because they’re going to need it. Running back Ca’lil Valentine exploded onto the scene last week, leading all rushers with 88 yards and showing off his wheels with a sick 51-yard touchdown run. Valentine himself said it felt “good being able to open my stride again cause I haven’t done that (since) high school … I was running track and doing it on the field.” His partner in crime, Aiden Laugherty, had a quieter game numbers-wise, but he was a power back doing work up the middle. This inside-out dynamic with Valentine could be the key against a strong Duke defense, and Bielema clearly trusts their versatility. Valentine mentioned the coach “builds a lot more confidence in us to go out there and display our best abilities on the field,” especially with their ability to “catch the ball in the back field, block for our quarterback.”
This Saturday, it’s all happening at Gies Memorial, and the game is officially sold out! Can Illinois’ defense figure out how to shut down Nate Sheppard and get off the field? Or will Valentine and Laugherty need to put the offense on their backs and keep that Duke defense guessing? This is going to be a wild one, don’t miss it!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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