Illini RBs Prove Their Worth In Season-Opening Victory

Ella Walker | Aug 30, 2024

Oct 21, 2023; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini running back Kaden Feagin (3) scores a touchdown during the second half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports / Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Illini running backs Kaden Feagin and Aidan Laughery were both effective in Thursday night's season- opening win against Eastern Illinois University.

Feagin had his first 100-yard game, finishing with 108. His longest run was 26 yards. Backup Aidan Laughery also was solid, carrying 10 times for 79 yards.

Illini coach Bret Bielema was impressed with the play of both.

“You know those two guys, I’ve been very blessed in my career to have some combo running backs," Bielema said. "When you have running backs who compliment each other in a way that’s very different right, that can lead to some good things.”

Feagin and Laughery accounted for nearly quarter of the Illini's total offensive yards. The running backs totaled 217 yards.

Ella Walker is a contributor to Illinois Fighting Illini On SI. She can be reached at ewalker1463@gmail.com.

ILLINI TURNS FOCUS TO KANSAS

 Bielema kind of side-stepped the question but his answer told the story.

After Thursday's 45-0 victory against Eastern Illinois, he was asked how much the Fighting Illini prepared Kansas during the preseason. Bielema gave the politically correct answer.

"The advantage we have is only we know the answer to that," Bielema said. "We concentrated on Eastern Illinois. That's the football team that was up on our schedule. We focused on them. Last spring and fall camp, we worked on our first four opponents at different times. We wanted to respect Eastern Illinois."  

Kansas won last year's meeting 34-23 in Lawrence.

Follow our coverage and updates on Facebook

X: @IlliniNowOnSI