Western Illinois quarterback Chris Irvin is pressured Friday night in Champaign by Illinois defensive lineman James Thompson Jr. in the Illini’s 52-3 victory. (Photo by FightingIllini.com)
By Barry Bottino
CHAMPAIGN – Western Illinois brought three new offensive linemen and 10 new defensive starters into its season opener against FBS Illinois.
The Illini, on the other hand, returned all five offensive linemen from 2024, who average 320 pounds, and a defensive front seven that piled up 16 sacks last season.
Those numbers tipped the scales Friday night at Memorial Stadium in a 52-3 Illinois victory over the Leathernecks.
“The physical advantages that Illinois has were fairly apparent,” Western coach Joe Davis said. “We thought schematically that we had some advantages, and it came down to execution and physicality. We didn’t possess those things consistently enough.”
While holding Western (0-1) to 29 rushing yards, 12th-ranked Illinois also sacked WIU quarterback Chris Irvin four times and produced four QB hurries.
“They were pretty physical up front and got to me quickly,” Irvin said. “I had to get the ball out of my hands. We just didn’t execute as well as we should have.”
Western managed just 11 first downs, went 5-for-14 on third downs and had one rushing play that gained more than nine yards.
Under the guidance of senior quarterback Luke Altmyer, Illinois scored on its first six drives of the game, building a 38-0 lead early in the third quarter. Altmyer completed passes to nine different receivers and the Illini rushed for 209 yards.
“The biggest challenge for us came up front,” WIU defensive back Keith Moko said. “They’re big guys. They’re strong. They’re powerful. That’s what they’re good at, they run the rock.”
Western’s only points came on the initial play of the fourth quarter when Antonio Chadha kicked a 20-yard field goal. The Leathernecks had first and goal at the Illini 1 after a 21-yard Irvin-to-Demari Davis completion.
But Western committed a false start, losing five yards, then rushed for three total yards on the next three plays before settling for the field goal.
Game changers
6:36, 1st quarter: Illini outside linebacker Gabe Jacas sacked Irvin, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Illinois at the WIU 26. Five plays later, the Illini scored on a 3-yard pass play to go up 14-0.
4:31, 2nd quarter: Illini WR Hank Beatty caught a deep pass down the middle, outrunning Western DB Buju Aumua-Tuisavura, for a 59-yard gain. The Illini scored two plays later for a 31-0 lead.
14:57, 4th quarter: On the first play of the final period, WIU kicker Antonio Chadha connected on a 20-yard field goal to end the Illini’s shutout bid. The points were the first scored by any Illinois FCS opponent against the Illini since 2018.
Nifty ‘Necks
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the top three Western Illinois players in Friday’s game:
Davis, WR: The California native caught a team-best four passes for 65 yards, including a 21-yard grab while outjumping a defender to give WIU a first down at the Illini 1.
D.J. Taylor, DE: The 6-foot-4 senior penetrated the middle of the Illini line to block a 28-yard field goal attempt early in the fourth quarter.
Moko, DB: A Northern Iowa transfer, Moko led all players with nine tackles, including five solo stops.
What it means
Western Illinois lost its eighth season opener in a row. The last time WIU won an opener was its 41-14 victory on Aug. 31, 2017, at Tennessee Tech.
What’s next
Western Illinois remains in Big Ten country with a Sept. 6 game in Evanston against Northwestern. This marks the first time in WIU history that the program will play two Big Ten opponents in the same season.
Barry Bottino is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin and a 19-year veteran of three Illinois newspapers. He has covered college athletics since 1995.
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