You can't really glean much from that mismatch, but there are a few things the coaches will take away when they watch the game film.
1. The offensive line was confused a bit by WIU selling out to stop the run. It's tough to figure who to block when they line up 9 guys in the box. I'm pretty sure Bart Miller will tell us this week that communication has to be better. They figured it out more as the game went along and they started running fewer gap plays and went heavy on the outside zone.
2. 12 different defensive lineman got snaps against WIU, so it was basically an open competition to and a chance for guys to show they can be in the regular rotation and help the team. The standout was Tomiwa Durojaiye, who I thought was disruptive because of his quick get-off and ability to chase the ball from the backside. NT reps were split evenly among Curt Neal, Angelo McCullum, and Gentle Hunt. They need one of those guys to emerge. Or they could possibly move Durojaiye to NT and start him, James Thompson Jr., and Pat Farrell.
3. The corners were just okay. Kaleb Patterson got beat deep. His man was targeted 4 times and had 3 catches for 64 yards. I want to see Jaheim Clark in that spot when he's healthy. They also have the option of playing Xavier Scott at CB if it comes to that. We could also more of Tanner Heckel.
4. There were times in the game when Luke Altmyer reverted to 2023 when he had some hiccups with decision making when under pressure. He knows that, and I'd expect improvement this week against Duke.
5. WR Justin Bowick was the breakout player on offense. He was only targeted 4 times. I would expect Altmyer to look for him more often going forward. Bowick won all of his matchups and I really liked his route running. The catch in the back of the end zone was an eye-opener. Really smooth. Some other receivers were inconsistent getting open. And Altmyer didn't see guys who broke open a couple of times.
6. Daniel Brown getting more reps at OLB than Leon Lowery Jr. was a bit of a surprise. Brown showed some speed off the edge and had a sack. PFF graded him as the second most effective Illinois pass rusher after Gabe Jacas.
7. They had the dime package out there a lot against WIU with Matthew Bailey, Miles Scott, Xavier Scott, and Mac Resetich all on the field together. Bailey and Miles Scott played 52 of a possible 55 snaps. We're likely to see more of that package against spread teams. Bailey is a hybrid type with great size, so you lose nothing with him playing more in the box.
8. I want to see more touches for Ca'lil Valentine, and I'm sure Valentine does too. I'll go out on a limb and say he's the most talented running back on this team. I do want to see him do a better job finishing his runs, but he can bounce runs to the outside with a quick jump cut and pick up yards when nothing is there. Laughery obviously has that burst too, but I think Valentine has a bit better vision and natural feel.
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1. The offensive line was confused a bit by WIU selling out to stop the run. It's tough to figure who to block when they line up 9 guys in the box. I'm pretty sure Bart Miller will tell us this week that communication has to be better. They figured it out more as the game went along and they started running fewer gap plays and went heavy on the outside zone.
2. 12 different defensive lineman got snaps against WIU, so it was basically an open competition to and a chance for guys to show they can be in the regular rotation and help the team. The standout was Tomiwa Durojaiye, who I thought was disruptive because of his quick get-off and ability to chase the ball from the backside. NT reps were split evenly among Curt Neal, Angelo McCullum, and Gentle Hunt. They need one of those guys to emerge. Or they could possibly move Durojaiye to NT and start him, James Thompson Jr., and Pat Farrell.
3. The corners were just okay. Kaleb Patterson got beat deep. His man was targeted 4 times and had 3 catches for 64 yards. I want to see Jaheim Clark in that spot when he's healthy. They also have the option of playing Xavier Scott at CB if it comes to that. We could also more of Tanner Heckel.
4. There were times in the game when Luke Altmyer reverted to 2023 when he had some hiccups with decision making when under pressure. He knows that, and I'd expect improvement this week against Duke.
5. WR Justin Bowick was the breakout player on offense. He was only targeted 4 times. I would expect Altmyer to look for him more often going forward. Bowick won all of his matchups and I really liked his route running. The catch in the back of the end zone was an eye-opener. Really smooth. Some other receivers were inconsistent getting open. And Altmyer didn't see guys who broke open a couple of times.
6. Daniel Brown getting more reps at OLB than Leon Lowery Jr. was a bit of a surprise. Brown showed some speed off the edge and had a sack. PFF graded him as the second most effective Illinois pass rusher after Gabe Jacas.
7. They had the dime package out there a lot against WIU with Matthew Bailey, Miles Scott, Xavier Scott, and Mac Resetich all on the field together. Bailey and Miles Scott played 52 of a possible 55 snaps. We're likely to see more of that package against spread teams. Bailey is a hybrid type with great size, so you lose nothing with him playing more in the box.
8. I want to see more touches for Ca'lil Valentine, and I'm sure Valentine does too. I'll go out on a limb and say he's the most talented running back on this team. I do want to see him do a better job finishing his runs, but he can bounce runs to the outside with a quick jump cut and pick up yards when nothing is there. Laughery obviously has that burst too, but I think Valentine has a bit better vision and natural feel.
PFF: Top Illinois performers and what we learned vs. Western Illinois
Orange and Blue News breaks down the Illinois PFF grades vs. Western Illinois and what we learned about the Illini.