After a 2-0 start, Illinois looked as if it might be headed in the right direction.
But after going 0-2 since, including a 28-6 shellacking against Nebraska, the standard for this Illini team has declined to its usual resting spot.
The Illinois offense has been underwhelming, and the defense has neither been able to get off the field nor keep teams from scoring.
While getting wide receiver Mike Dudek back from a torn ACL has certainly given the passing game a boost, the quarterback play has been less than stellar, racking up three times as many interceptions as TD passes.
Still looking for their first conference win, the Illini have shown there is work to be done before they climb into the top half of the Big Ten standings.
With that being said, here’s a look at Illinois, by the numbers:
Average offense per game: 267.3
The Illinois offense has not been good this season.
Its offense has been unable to move the ball down the field this season, and that’s a big problem. The Illini rank last in the Big Ten in terms of total offense, trailing Rutgers, the next bad team, by nearly 40 yards a game.
It has also scored only 7 touchdowns on the season, also last in the Big Ten.
While Dudek and running back Mike Epstein have been solid this year, recording 195 receiving yards and 263 rushing yards, respectively, neither ranks in the top 10 in the conference in receiving or rushing.
The lack of offense has also led to the Illini having the worst scoring offense in the Big Ten, putting up just 17.8 points a game. The 71 total points they have put up trails No. 12 Michigan State by 27.
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Interceptions thrown: 6
Part of the reason Illinois’ offense has not been able to do anything big is because of turnovers. Illini quarterbacks have combined for 6 interceptions, while only tossing 2 touchdowns.
Former starting quarterback Chayce Crouch has accounted for 4 of the picks, throwing 1 touchdown in the process. He is tied for fourth in the conference in interceptions, behind Nebraska’s Tanner Lee, Rutgers’ Kyle Bolin, and Northwestern’s Clayton Thorson.
At the same time, though, Crouch has thrown only 77 passes, meaning he has not made the most of his opportunities in any way.
Jeff George Jr., who is set to start against Iowa, has thrown 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions in his limited play. He has, however, accumulated a quarterback rating of 131.9, giving the Illini hope.
Needless to say, when Illinois takes on Rutgers on Oct. 14, it likely won’t be a pretty game to watch.
Opponent third down conversion percentage: 53.2
In addition to their disheartening offense, the defense has hurt the team as well by not getting off the field on third down.
Every other team in the conference has an opponent third-down conversion percentage under 46, while teams convert against Illinois on more than half of their attempts.
The sheer number of conversions by opponents translates directly to the number of points given up, and Illinois sits in the bottom third of the Big Ten, giving up 25.8 points per game.
