After a frustrating loss to Michigan in the Big House, Washington looks to dive right back in to top-25 competition as Illinois travels in to Seattle as the number 23 team in the country.
Today represents a big opportunity for the Huskies to get back on track and hold on to their College Football Playoffs hopes. Illinois has high hopes of their own and are viewed as a bubble team for the playoffs.
The preseason number 12 Illini’s only two losses are to the current top ranked Buckeyes and number 2 Indiana Hoosiers.
It’s going to be all hands on deck for the Huskies if they want to become team number three this afternoon.
Here are 3 keys to beating Illinois:
Win the shootout: Following a disappointing output against Michigan, Demond Williams and this Huskies offense will be looking to get back to their previous success in what is expected to be a tough matchup this afternoon.
It is tough to truly label this Illinois defense as the games they have struggled in have been against elite offensive opponents. Their inability to get off the field (120th in 3rd down defense and 128th in interceptions) should present a key advantage for Washington.
With Demond Williams coming off of his first true poor performance in a Husky uniform the opportunity to get back to slinging the ball around the field is a welcome sight.
With no one player standing out against Michigan the Huskies should look to continue spreading touches across the skill group. A good performance out of Jonah Coleman will go miles for this offense but it will be important that Denzel Boston, Dezmen Roebuck, and Raiden Vines-Bright continue to get the ball.
Pursue: While Illinois has the offensive fire power to match the Huskies the place they have struggled is on the offensive line. Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer has looked up to standard this season as one of the BIG10’s leading passers.
With a clean pocket Altmyer has been lethal, leading the Illini to 34+ points in every game against teams outside the AP top-2.
The Huskies have struggled to do damage up front as they rank 81st in the nation in sacks and 119th in tackles for loss. Those numbers will need to improve if the Huskies want to stop this extremely capable Illinois offense.
While it seems to be something we bring up before every game it remains true. If the Huskies want to take that step and be in contention for a playoff spot at the end of the year they are going to have to make stuff happen up front.
The return of Zach Durfee was a good sign against Michigan and Anterior Thompson has looked good but someone will need to step into that game changer role for this defense to make the leap.
Clean It Up: Despite the 24-7 scoreline last weekend Michigan was not 17 points better than the Huskies. Too many pre snap penalties and poor decision making up and down the roster cost Washington points and dropped them into Michigans hands.
Illinois brings a very similar profile as the Huskies meaning this will be a game decided by execution. Winning the turnover battle has been a point of emphasis for the Washington coaching staff and will be necessary today.
Illinois has a very good special teams unit which is a big advantage if this game plays as close as many expect.
In terms of a test this is the game, Illinois and Washington look incredibly similar on paper. The Huskies have the big play advantage but this is an Illini team that was ranked as high as number nine in the country this season. And that’s for a reason.
