To leave New Jersey with a win, Illinois must dominate the run game on both sides of the field
No. 24 Illinois is fresh off an impressive 38-16 bounce-back win over Michigan State last week, and this Saturday the Illini take their talents to the East Coast, where Rutgers awaits them in Piscataway, New Jersey.
The Scarlet Knights, after losing four straight, are winners of their last two, including a 26-19 home victory over Minnesota – the author of Illinois’ last loss. With the Illini seeking to win out and sneak into a top bowl game, they must first take down Rutgers before heading to Wrigley Field in Chicago next week to play Northwestern. As always, a new week raises questions – and we focus on three key ones ahead of Illinois-Rutgers:Illinois’ run game has been solid, churning out five straight performances in Big Ten games of more than 100 yards.
After averaging 147.3 rushing yards through four games, Monangai has found the going tougher, surpassing 100 yards only once in Rutgers' past five Big Ten games. Meanwhile, the Illini seem to be flipping a coin every week to decide whether or not to buckle down on the run. If last week's Illinois rush defense reports for duty at SHI Stadium on Saturday, the rest of the pieces are likely to fall into place for the Illini.
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