Illinois will get a very different Duke team on Saturday than the one it saw a year ago.
Last season’s meeting in Durham turned into a shootout on the Blue Devils’ side of the ball, with quarterback Darian Mensah throwing for 334 yards and two touchdowns. Illinois survived that game by creating chaos everywhere else, forcing five turnovers and turning a tight contest into a 45-19 win. This time, though, the rematch in Champaign, Ill., comes with Duke leaning hard into a new identity.
With Mensah now at Miami, Duke has shifted from a pass-first look to a run-heavy attack built around sophomore Nate Sheppard. At 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, Sheppard is off to a massive start, leading the nation in rushing after gaining 227 yards and scoring twice on 35 carries in Duke’s 17-3 victory over Tulane. The Blue Devils ran it 49 times and threw only 28 passes in that game, almost the exact opposite of how they approached Illinois last year.
“They were vastly different -- both personnel and schematically -- from a year ago,” Illinois defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck said. “Same offense.
A lot of the same concepts. But they're drastically different in how they're going at it, so we're going to have to figure out where we're going to lean.”
That decision starts with Illinois’ run defense, but it doesn’t end there. The Illini are also trying to clean up their tackling after allowing UAB to move the ball far too easily in a 42-23 win on Sept.
- Illinois gave up 413 yards on 79 plays, including 194 rushing yards against Hauck’s new 3-3-5 defense.
Illinois coach Bret Bielema said the tackling issues were no accident.
“I made a conscientious effort that we just did not tackle very much (in the fall),” Bielema said. “I knew that tackling was going to be a little bit of an issue.”
Duke’s defense brings a different kind of problem. The Blue Devils have made pressure part of the routine, and they kept that up in the opener by holding Tulane to 54 rushing yards. Defensive end Bryce Davis was named the ACC’s Defensive Lineman of the Week after finishing with three tackles for loss and two sacks.
That front will be tasked with bothering Illinois quarterback Katin Houser, who looked sharp in his first game for the Illini. Houser completed 13 of 17 passes for 182 yards and three touchdowns against UAB, then added a fourth score on the ground.
“Their quarterback is really efficient with the ball out of his hand,” Duke defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke said. “Great timing throws.
Has good arm strength. His feet can get him out of trouble in the pocket.”
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The pressure is on Illinois defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck to get the run fits cleaned up quickly, and the tackling grade will be watched closely after Bret Bielema pointed to that issue last week. Dukes backs will test every missed angle and every soft tackle, which makes this a simple but revealing matchup for both sides. If Illinois can hold up, it will show real progress. If not, the Blue Devils could spend the afternoon dictating terms on the ground. [Read more 🡒]
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That challenge matters even more on the road at Dail Soccer Stadium, where small mistakes tend to get magnified. Duke is also using the week to spotlight its Kicks for Kids initiative in support of Pets at Duke, but the bigger concern remains how deep the Blue Devils can dig into a patchwork defense and still handle a conference opponent that will be eager to test it. [Read more 🡒]