How Illinois should attack Eastern Illinois' defense

There are just over 24 hours left until the start of the 2024 season in Illinois, so let's take another look at the Illini's first opponent – Eastern Illinois.

There was a lot of excitement this offseason, and rightfully so, about the potential of Illinois' offense this season. Getting off to a fast start in a warm-up game against an FCS opponent will be critical to building momentum and ultimately unlocking the offensive potential of this unit.

So what awaits Barry Lunney, Luke Altmyer and Co. on Thursday night?

Let’s take a look:

Defense of Eastern Illinois

Eastern Illinois' defense was undoubtedly its strength last season, going 8-3.

The Panthers finished 16th in the FCS, allowing just 19.7 points per game. From that strong core, nine starters return, including the entire front seven. Eastern Illinois defensive coordinator Collin Geier hopes to turn this group into one of the best defenses in the FCS in 2024.

The Panthers were very strong against the run last season, ranking in the top 30 nationally in total defense in the FCS and allowing just 3.72 yards per carry. There's plenty of size and experience on defense and a handful of troublemakers inside, but Illinois will surely show size and physicality on the offensive line that no Eastern Illinois defender has ever been able to match.

The key for Illinois in the run game will be finding linebacker Elijawah Tolbert, a First-Team All-Big South-OVC selection the past two seasons. Tolbert is an obliterator in the middle of the Panthers defense and does his best work when it comes to containing the run game and preventing explosive runs.

The biggest opportunity for Illinois' offense will be in the passing game. Eastern Illinois' pass rush was pretty weak in 2023, ranking in the bottom half of its conference in both sacks and pressures. Edge rushers Joel Barrows and Nicholas Oliveira-Chase were solid last season, but generating consistent pressure has been a challenge for the Panthers overall.

Additionally, the Panthers must replace their top two cornerbacks from last year and will be in the process of making some changes in the secondary. Highly-rated cornerback Kaleb Lyons, who transferred from Morehead State, will step in as the team's best cover man, but the back half of the Panthers defense appears vulnerable, especially against the Illini's proven receiver duo.

The undisputed hallmark of the Eastern Illinois defense is taking the ball away. In 2023, the Panthers ranked seventh in the FCS with 25 turnovers and fourth with a +15 turnover margin. Part of that number was certainly the result of luck, but this unit values ​​running the ball and thrives on creating havoc on opposing offenses.

Illinois will need to play a clean game offensively and, similarly to the defense, be able to dominate the line of scrimmage. While the Eastern Illinois defense is a very strong group for its level, it will have disadvantages across the field and the Illini will look to exploit those early and often in hopes of getting their exciting offense on the right track in 2024.

Three key factors for the Illini offense against EIU:

1. Protect the ball — Almost all big upsets happen because of a handful of uncharacteristic mistakes and turnovers. Eastern Illinois will aggressively use blitzes and try to force Luke Altmyer into mistakes. He needs to avoid some of the poor decisions that plagued him early in 2023. And he can't commit fumbles, either. The Panthers recovered 11 of them last season.
2. Attack the EIU cornerbacks — That position seems to be the biggest question mark for the Panthers, and Illinois has the talent at the wide receiver position to test them. Zakhari Franklin and Pat Bryant should have good opposition, and the Illini are primed for a strong night in the air if they are aggressive enough. Luke Altmyer will have chances to throw wide and create some explosive plays. He needs to make the most of those opportunities.
3. Establish the running game from the first game — Barry Lunney has talked about wanting to be much better on the ground this season after posting the worst yardage of Bret Bielema's career as head coach in 2023. That has to start on night one for this Illini offense. Although Eastern Illinois has a strong run defense at the FCS level, they've never seen the physicality of the Illini's offensive line and they've certainly never seen someone like Kaden Feagin. Both he and his backfield partners should have a big night on Thursday.