ScoopDuck Roundtable: Surprise Storylines vs Illinois
Oregon is back at it again this Saturday in Autzen stadium. This time they take on a bit of a surprise top 20 opponent in Illinois.
The Fighting Illini come into the game with a little bit of street cred. They beat Michigan last week, and also Purdue and Nebraska the weeks before. The only loss in the last few games was a tough 21-7 loss to Penn State.
Here is a look at what could be a surprise storyline coming from this game on Saturday.
Collin King: Devon Jackson flashes in a Top 25 matchup.
In talking with people at the Michigan vs Illinois game this past weekend, I was told that one thing standing out to them was starting QB Luke Altmeyer’s athleticism. As a passer Altmeyer threw for less than 100 yards, and on the ground ran for nearly 50. This should come as no surprise to Ducks fans that Devon Jackson is one of the fastest LBs in America and could see an uptick in snaps this week if the Ducks are having trouble leaving a spy against Illinois.
Linden Hile: Illinois Scores at Least Twice
Coming off a shutout performance against Purdue, it would be easy for Oregon fans to imagine a similar outcome against Illinois at Autzen. I actually don’t think this will come especially close to happening.
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The Fighting Illini run a sound, well-balanced offense that has a high scoring floor. I’d be surprised if the Ducks hold them under two touchdowns on the day, not that it’ll likely matter.
Max Torres: Kenyon Sadiq scores two touchdowns
The sophomore tight end only caught two passes for 58 yards against Purdue last week, but what he did with those two touches got a lot of Oregon fans excited for what’s to come. Terrance Ferguson has been a steady presence at tight end the last few years, but Sadiq is the future of the position at Oregon. With Ferguson likely to miss another game after getting his appendix removed, this is a perfect opportunity for the Ducks to get him more involved. I think Sadiq finds the end zone twice against Illinois, maybe even once through the air and once on the ground.
Jhop: Oregon Scores 4 Passing TD’s
What’s the recipe for beating Oregon right now? Well besides scoring more points than them, it’s figuring out how to slow down the balanced offense. Pick your poison right? Give up the run game or try and keep the receivers in front of you? I think Illinois challenges Oregon to throw the ball to beat them. While there isn’t a great way to play them defensively, I think this will shock some with Oregon scoring 4 passing TD’s on Saturday.
