Undefeated No. 22 Iowa will look to defend Kinnick Stadium Saturday against 4-1 Illinois. It’s a battle of two teams on the rise this weekend, and could have big implications in the Big Ten West.With Illini making their first trip to Iowa City since 2007, the game figures to be entertaining. But how well do these two relatively unfamiliar foes stack up against each other?

Pass efficiency: Iowa 145.3, Illinois 117.5
One of the biggest story lines is the play of quarterbacks C.J. Beathard and Wes Lunt.

While Illinois’ Lunt was more of a known commodity coming out of high school, Beathard has taken the conference by storm in 2015, winning all his first five games as a starter for the Hawkeyes, putting up some pretty gaudy numbers in the process.

Beathard, known for his highlight-reel runs, has been one of the most efficient passers in the Big Ten this season, evidenced by a sterling 145.3 pass-efficiency rating.

With nearly 100 more passing attempts so far this season, Lunt is one of the most pass-happy quarterbacks in the league, but Bethard’s stellar 64.7 completion percentage really sticks out.

Sacks against: Iowa 9, Illinois 5
Iowa’s defensive line made Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave miserable last weekend, but they’ll have their work cut out for them again against the Illini.

Lunt has a distinct advantage of throwing behind one of the more solid offensive lines in the Big Ten, a group that has allowed the third-fewest sacks of any team in the conference.

Injuries have forced a bit of turnover on Iowa’s side of things, and Beathard could very well be under fire again in this one. His ability to scramble and get out of trouble could prove huge as the game wears on and the pressure mounts.

Defensive ends Drew Ott and Nate Meier will be called upon to break the stalemate for Iowa defensively.

Third down conversions: Iowa 47.7 percent, Illinois 40 percent
Simply put, Iowa has done a much better job of extending drives and keeping the chains moving than the Illini have.

Iowa’s 47.7-percent conversion rate is good enough for third in the conference and is just 2.7 percentage points off from league leader Rutgers.

Iowa has been much more aggressive in third-down situations — whether it’s a new confidence between Kirk Ferentz and his players, the ability of Beathard, or whatever else — and it has been rewarded for it so far.

That said, Illinois boasts the third-best third-down defense in the conference. This game could come down to inches.

Red-zone efficiency: Iowa 85 percent, Illinois 68.2 percent
The Illini are also overmatched in red-zone efficiency.

So far this year, the Hawks have converted an astounding 17-of-20 red-zone appearances into either field goals or touchdowns, compared with 15-of-22 for Illinois.

Iowa has a few really nice offensive weapons that have worked well in these short-field scenarios, and if running back LeShun Daniels Jr. is feeling and running better, that 1-2 punch of him and Jordan Canzeri could be a nightmare for the Illinois defense.