Illinois Football: Preview of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights Offense
Oct 1, 2016; Columbus, OH, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights quarterback Chris Laviano (5) warms up before the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports
The Illinois Football team takes on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights this Saturday in hopes of getting their second win of the season.
Rutgers doesn’t have a terrible offense, despite being shut out the last two games. Hopefully, the Illini defense is ready to dominate this weekend.
Here is what the Illinois defense will be facing against Rutgers.
Quarterback
The Illini have played some decent quarterbacks this season. Even Purdue had a solid quarterback leading their team in the win against Illinois.
But, on Saturday, Illinois shouldn’t have too difficult of a time against Rutgers quarterback Chris Laviano.
Rutgers is currently 2-4 on the season with their only wins being over Howard and New Mexico. The only loss they had that was less than 35-points was against Iowa.
The Scarlet Knights lost to Washington by 35-points, Ohio State by 58-points and Michigan by 78-points.
Those are crazy numbers and a lot of it had to do with quarterback play.
Laviano is still listed as the starting quarterback but just about every quarterback on their roster has taken a snap this season.
Rutgers doesn’t know what they are doing at the quarterback position and this will help the Illini.
No matter what quarterback Rutgers trots out on Saturday, the Illini should be able to put enough pressure on them to cause mistakes.
Laviano is the gold standard at quarterback right now for Rutgers. He has thrown for 686 yards, 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. This stat line should also include a 47.5-percent completion rate as well.
The Rutgers quarterbacks are not good and Illinois should continue to expose that fact.
Sep 17, 2016; Piscataway, NJ, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights running back Robert Martin (7) runs against New Mexico safety Daniel Henry (14) for a touchdown during first half at High Points Solutions Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
Running Back
The running game is where Rutgers will have a chance against Illinois on Saturday. This is their one bright spot on the team.
illinois fighting illini
Writing Illini 1 dIllinois Football: Illini Make Top 5 for Bobby Roundtree
More headlines around FanSided:
2d - Illinois Football: Illini Fans Still Optimistic About the Future3d - Illinois Football: For Micah Jones, Decision Isn't Solely Based off Winning3d - Illinois Football: Depth Chart Against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights4d - Illinois Sports: Ex-Illini Coach Offers Support For Crouch4d - Illinois Football: Where Is the Illini Program Now and Into the Future?More News at Writing Illini
Robert Martin is the Scarlet Knights leading rusher and has been a main staple in their offense for a while now.
In Martin’s freshman and sophomore campaigns, he had 434 yards and 763 yards, respectively. This season he already has 420 yards and 1 touchdown.
The running style of Martin is your classic small power back. He is low to the ground but has some bulk on him to the point where he is difficult to bring down.
Martin will be dangerous if Illinois continues to let the opposing running games run wild.
The backup to Martin heading into Saturday is Josh Hicks.
Hicks hasn’t done much on the ground this season. He has carried the ball 27 times for 127 yards.
Rutgers is full of bigger backs and Hicks fits that mold. He is 5-foot-10 and weighs 213-pounds. This is a back that could cause some damage in goal-line situations.
The third string running back on Saturday is going to be Justin Goodwin.
Goodwin has run the ball more this season than Hicks has. He has 35 carries for 151 yards this season. I could see Goodwin being used at times in the game tomorrow.
Sep 10, 2016; Piscataway, NJ, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights wide receiver Janarion Grant (1) runs against the Howard Bisons for a touchdown during second half at High Points Solutions Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
Wide Receivers
The main wide receiver for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights is Janarion Grant.
Grant has been pretty good this season despite the quarterback carousel. He has caught the ball 20 times for 210 yards.
But, Grant is not a red zone target because the team has 6 receiving touchdowns and none of them have gone to him.
More from Writing Illini
Grant isn’t just a threat in the air, though. He is also just an overall playmaker.
The other aspect of Grant’s game the Illini need to keep an eye out for is Grant’s running ability. He is actually third on the team in rushing with 138 yards on 16 carries.
In addition to the great running ability, Grant also has 3 touchdowns on the ground as well. This is truly a duel-threat player at wide receiver and running back.
Behind Grant is a deep threat in Jawuan Harris.
Harris is that Steve Smith Sr. type of wide receiver that can go deep and burn you before you even know it.
Despite the 13 catches for 199 yards and 2 touchdowns, Harris’ 5-foot-9 and 192-pound frame fools the opposing teams into thinking he isn’t a threat on the field.
Illinois needs to keep an eye on Harris this Saturday. Pass coverage has been a plus for the Illini this season but that could change if they get lax tomorrow.