Game Preview: Virginia vs. Illinois

Everything you need to know about Virginia’s morning matchup against Illinois on Saturday

Photo courtesy of Scott Taetsch/ USA TODAY Sports

Game Details

Who: Illinois Fighting Illini (1-1, 1-0 Big Ten) vs. Virginia Cavaliers (1-0, 0-0 ACC)

When: Saturday, September 11th, at 11am

How to watch: ACC Network

All-time series: Illinois leads the all-time series 2-0, with both previous meetings coming in bowl games.

Last meeting: Illinois defeated Virginia 63-21 in the Micron PC Bowl in Miami in 1999.

Illinois this season

Illinois has played two games so far this season, giving Bronco Mendenhall and company twice as much game film to use to prepare for the game this weekend. However, the Illini are no less difficult to read as they turned in two drastically different performances in weeks one and two.

Illinois started off the season strong with a hard-fought 30-22 victory over a conference opponent, Nebraska. This was a minor upset, as the Cornhuskers were 6.5-point favorites heading into the game. It was a sloppy and chaotic first half, with multiple special teams miscues on both sides, including missed field goals and a safety on a Nebraska punt return.

Illinois starting quarterback Brandon Peters went 3/4 for 35 yards before taking a rough sack that knocked him out of the game with a left shoulder injury in the first quarter. Artur Sitkowski, a sophomore transfer from Rutgers, came in to replace Peters. Calvin Hart Jr. recovered a Nebraska fumble and returned it 41 yards for an Illini touchdown to give Illinois a 16-9 lead at halftime. Illinois turned that play into a 21-0 run, as Sitkowski threw two touchdowns in the third quarter to make it 30-9. Sitkowski played very well, completing 12 of 15 passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns. Nebraska tried to stage a comeback with a pair of touchdowns, but Illinois held on for the huge season-opening conference win.

Illinois followed up that momentous victory with a disappointing 37-30 loss to UT-San Antonio at home in week two. It was the first time in the ten-year history of UTSA that the Roadrunners have beaten (or even played) a Big Ten opponent. With Peters still recovering from his shoulder injury, Sitkowski got the start at quarterback and played respectably, going 22/42 for 266 yards and three touchdowns. However, the offense as a whole got off to a very slow start, going down 14-0 and trailing 20-14 at halftime. Illinois’ rushing attack was virtually nonexistent, as the Illini scored zero rushing touchdowns and did not have a rusher with more than 40 yards in the game. Illinois played catch-up with UTSA for the entire second half and trailed by as few as three points midway through the fourth quarter, but never tied the game or took the lead. The Illini defense gave up 497 total yards to UTSA one week after yielding 392 yards to Nebraska.

Illinois Players to Watch

1. Artur Sitkowski or Brandon Peters

The quarterback position will be one of the crucial elements to this game regardless of who starts under center for the Illini. If Sitkowski starts again, look for him to try to get the Illinois offense going early so that the Illini can play with a lead rather than with a deficit going into the second half, which was the key difference between Sitkowski’s play in the Nebraska and UTSA games. If Peters starts, it will be interesting to see if he is 100% and how long it will take for him to adjust and settle in after playing less than a quarter of football in 2021.

2. Wide Receiver Isaiah Williams

Isaiah Williams has been a dynamic threat in the passing game for Illinois through both games this season. He recorded six receptions for 41 yards and a touchdown in the opener against Nebraska. Although he did not have a touchdown in the UTSA game, his statline was even more impressive with eight receptions for 101 yards, one of the few bright spots for Illinois in the loss.

3. Running Back Mike Epstein

Mike Epstein showed flashes of brilliance against Nebraska, carrying the ball 16 times for 75 yards and a touchdown. Against UTSA, however, Epstein managed just 32 yards on nine carries. Epstein’s production against Virginia will be a major indicator of who wins the game on Saturday.

Three keys to the game for Virginia

1. Don’t let the Illinois quarterback settle in - whoever it is

If Sitkowski starts, he will be eager to lead his team to a statement win on the road at Virginia and perhaps show the Illini coaching staff that he deserves the starting position even if Peters returns from his shoulder injury. If Peters starts, he will do so coming off of an injury and a good amount of rust after playing less than 11 minutes of football in total this season. Either way, the Havoc Hoos should make it their top priority to make the Illinois quarterback as uncomfortable as possible on the road at Scott Stadium.

2. Win the rushing battle

Illinois has struggled to establish a reliable rushing attack through their first two games. Running back Mike Epstein looked promising in week one but was shut down in week two. A key objective for the Hoos is to keep the Illini rushing attack contained, forcing Sitkowski or Peters to beat Virginia with his arm. UVA eclipsed 200 rushing yards as a team and had three touchdowns. Another strong rushing performance will become more important if the Cavaliers can build an early lead (see key #3).

3. Strong start is key

In week one, the Virginia defense brought its A-game right away, holding William & Mary to five-straight three-and-outs to start the game. The offense, however, lagged behind and scored just three points in the first quarter. Illinois was able to defeat Nebraska because they took the lead heading into halftime, continued to build that lead in the third quarter, and then held on to win. When the Illini had to play from behind after spotting two touchdowns to UTSA, they had to play catch-up the entire game and could not get it done. The first quarter of Saturday’s matchup will be extremely important. The victor of the game may be determined by which team gets out of bed more ready for the early 11am start.