Illinois Set to Shatter Expectations Against Duke in Unforgettable Showdown

Football is back—again—and here we are, tiptoeing into Week 2 with all the usual fanfare, jitters, and “Did you see that?!” moments still fresh in our minds. Week 0 or not, the gridiron grind doesn’t stop, and today, we spotlight a fascinating matchup: Illinois squares off against Duke at noon ET. Now, anyone else wondering if Illinois’ blowout win over Western Illinois was their “Sunday drive” or a legit statement, especially against a Duke squad that also made light work of Elon? Duke’s defense poses some spicy questions—can they really keep Luke Altmyer and the Illini offense in check, or will the rushing attack pave the way? This clash might just flip some early-season expectations, and I’m eager to see if Illinois can cover the spread as confidently as they moved the chains last week. Curious? So am I. Let’s dive in and get a feel for who’s got the edge before kickoff. LEARN MORE.

Illinois at Duke, 12:00 ET

Football has been back for a full week now, and we are entering Week 2. I suppose technically, this is the third week of College Football’s return if you want to count Week 0. Regardless of when it starts, we should all be pumped up that it is back. The first week was entertaining with some crazy upsets, and getting some overreactions as usual to start the season. Week 2 will bring more of that, but more than anything, I’m hoping to win all of my plays. Today, we start with the Illinois Fighting Illini taking on the Duke Blue Devils.

Illinois started their campaign with a win over Western Illinois with little to no issue. In that game, Illinois won by almost 50, allowing just a field go to their opponent. Before all of you Illinois fans out there start praising this team and booking tickets for the College Football Playoffs, Western Illinois isn’t expected to be a very good team. This was basically a warm-up game for the team. I’m not trying to take anything away from Illinois, they did what they were supposed to and crushed their opponent. Quarterback Luke Altmyer looked great, throwing for 217 yards, and three touchdowns. He even completed 17 of his 21 attempts. On the ground, the team racked up 209 yards and another three touchdowns on 37 rushing attempts. To cap it off, Hank Beatty was able to get a punt return for a touchdown. The only thing that went wrong for Illinois was they missed a field goal. 

Duke also started their year with a win, also against a relatively inferior opponent. The Blue Devils were able to grab a win over Elon, beating them by almost 30 points. Duke started a bit slow in the game, specifically on offense. They only had a field goal in the first quarter, and just one rushing touchdown in the second quarter. The teams went to halftime tied at 10. It seemed like new starting quarterback Darian Mensah finally got into a groove in the third quarter, putting up two touchdown passes. He added another passing touchdown in the fourth quarter and Duke broke the game open with another rushing touchdown and a punt return TD of their own. For the game, Mensah ended up tossing 389 yards and three touchdowns on 27 of 34 attempts. Their running game took a bit of a backseat with only 25 attempts, and they had 159 yards and two touchdowns. 

Duke is coming into this game, and probably this season, with a lot of questions about how successful they will be. Duke has a good, and fast secondary, so Altmyer has a much harder test. I don’t expect him to have quite as many completions, but I do like that the rushing is providing a good balance for the Fighting Illini and could keep the Duke defense guessing. I wouldn’t be surprised if play-action is his best friend in this one. For Duke, they absolutely need to stop the run if they plan to win, but Elon was able to rack up ground yards. Illinois is going to be better than Duke on the ground and in the trenches. I suppose this is more of a reflection of people being cautious with trusting Illinois on the road, but I think they are the clear favorite here. I’m backing Illinois to cover the spread. 

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