CHAMPAIGN — Illinois football returns home for Week 10 of the college football season, hoping to rebound after a 45-25 road loss at Washington.
The Illini (5-3, 2-3) fell from the US LBM Coaches Poll rankings and now welcome in Rutgers (4-4, 1-4), which is coming off its first Big Ten win of the season. Illinois leads the all-time series 6-3, including a 38-31 win last season not decided until the final seconds.
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Coach Bret Bielema and Illinois kickoff at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 1 against coach Greg Schiano and the Scarlet Knights. The game is airing on NBC and streaming on Peacock.
Here’s a scouting report on the game, including score predictions by the Journal Star’s Wes Huett, Dave Eminian and Adam Duvall:
Why Illinois has an advantage: Illinois is coming off its most impactful loss since losing to Minnesota this very week last season. Quarterback Luke Altmyer and the Illini will bounce back against a defense ranked 118th nationally (425.9 yards per game), but can the defense lick its wounds and rebound? That will be the true test against a surprisingly prolific Rutgers offense ranked 40th nationally at 426 yards per game. Being at home in front of a sellout crowd could ultimately be the difference.
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Why Rutgers has an advantage: No doubt Rutgers can score. Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis completes 63.2 percent of his passes and leads a balanced offense with 2,223 yards in the air — the most of those to KJ Duff. Running back Antwan Raymond has 731 yards and 10 TDs on 149 carries to lead a rushing attack. The Scarlet Knights will need to force turnovers to slow the Illini and stay in this game.
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Illinois vs. Rutgers predictions
Illinois 38, Rutgers 24: Expect a high-scoring game that will stay tight early, but Illinois will pull away from late. The Illini simply must make a statement coming off a big loss last week. A major bowl game is still well within reach, so expect a big day in front of a home crowd. — Wes Huett
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Illinois 41, Rutgers 28: Both defenses are among the bottom three in the Big 10, a big reason Illinois has faded out of playoff field talk and Rutgers is 1-4 in the league. Illini’s Luke Altmyer to Hank Beatty is better than anything Rutgers can counter with. Although Rutgers is a throwing team, with QB Athan Kaliakmanis leading the Big Ten with 2,223 passing yards and an elite receiver in KJ Duff. The Illini are more balanced, with a run game in which all three backs Kaden Feagin, Ca’Lil Valentine, and Aiden Laughery have averaged over 4 yards per carry. Neither team is where it thought it would be at this point of the season. — Dave Eminian
Illinois 48, Rutgers 35: The Fighting Illini look to rebound from consecutive losses, having given up 38.0 points and 360.5 in those pair of defeats. Rutgers started the season 3-0, then dropped four in a row before last week’s three-point win over Purdue. Scarlet Knights wideout KJ Duff, who has 761 yards and 42 receptions with five touchdowns, could be problem for the Illini secondary. Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer threw a season-high two interceptions last week, but wasn’t sacked. This will be Illinois’ fourth straight sellout. — Adam Duvall
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Illinois vs. Rutgers predictions: How Illini get back to winning ways
