'I hope they run the quarterback': Illini Ready for Rutgers QB Johnny Langan

For only the second time this season, Illinois’ defensive scheme will match up versus a run-first QB.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- For only the second time this season, Illinois’ defensive scheme will match up with a quarterback possibly looking to run first.

And they can’t wait.

In a modern-day game officiated toward being protective of the signal-caller position, Illinois’ defensive leaders can’t wait for a chance to physically wear down Rutgers freshman quarterback Johnny Langan.

“Anybody who has seen our defense knows we like to play with physicality and they’re going to allow us a chance to get physical with the quarterback on plays, we’ll take it,” Illinois safety Sydney Brown said. “As a defensive player, you want those opportunities to hit the quarterback. So, I hope they run the quarterback.”

The only true dual-threat quarterback Illinois has seen this season was Nebraska’s Adrian Martinez. The sophomore ended the night with 446 yards of total offense (328 passing, 128 rushing) and three passing touchdowns in a 42-38 win for the Cornhuskers. With its defensive secondary finally fully intact, Illinois (4-4, 2-3 in Big Ten) would like to showcase how the running quarterback isn’t a bugaboo for this Illini defense.

“We’ve shown now that no matter what style you come with if we play our brand of disciplined and fundamentally sound defense, two things are either going to happen,” Illinois linebacker Jake Hansen said Monday. “Either we’re going to get off the field on third downs or we’re going to create a takeaway. You’ve seen both of those things go up remarkably against two completely different offenses in two weeks.”

Purdue quarterback Jack Plummer (13) is tackled by Illinois defensive lineman Jamal Milan (55) during the second quarter of the Illini's 24-6 win at Ross-Ade Stadium :: Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports

Following a 44-34 victory over Liberty last weekend, Langan, was named Big Ten Conference Co-Freshman of the Week and a Manning Award Star of the Week after totaling 310 yards (192 passing, 118 rushing) and accounting for three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) in the victory. Langan, who played high school football under current Rutgers interim head coach Nunzio Campanile, became the first Rutgers quarterback to reach 100 rushing yards in a game since 1961. For the year, Langan owns 201 rushing yards, the most by a Rutgers quarterback in a season since 2007.

“It's a tremendous accomplishment, you know, because a couple weeks ago, people were saying that guy is not a quarterback,” Campanile said Monday. “The truth is that there's a major learning curve for those young guys, and I mean there's some really tough defenses coming down the road. I'm not certain that we are going to go out and throwing for 300 yards or something next week but I do think that the work (Langan) put in in practice, he's starting to get those reps.”

At 6-foot-3 and 232 pounds, Langan was considered by higher-profile Power 5 Conferences as a tight end or wide receiver but also rated the No. 26 dual-threat quarterback in the nation and New Jersey’s No. 1 dual-threat quarterback by ESPN.com. With Rutgers being 106th among 130 Football Bowl Subdivision schools in rushing offense, Campanile has compiled an offensive philosophy around designed runs for his physically stout quarterback to hopefully open up throwing angles in the middle of the field.

“I told the whole offense, we kind of just finished training camp. We finished four weeks in getting these reps in this offense,” Campanile said. “(Langan) got us in the right plays, the right run checks, the right passes, the right reads, got the ball out of his hand faster. You know, he just was a much better decision-maker on Saturday, and hopefully, that will continue to grow. But I'm really proud of him, yeah and I think that there's a chance for him to continue to develop that over the next four weeks, absolutely.”

Langan made his first start versus Maryland on Oct. 5, a 48-7 home loss for the Scarlet Knights, where the freshman went 13-for-25 for 163 passing yards, adding 59 yards on the ground with a rushing touchdown.

Langan’s skillset throwing the football is still being refined by his old high school coach, Campanile, who installed a brand new offense after then-head coach Chris Ash was fired four weeks into this season.

“The guy that I saw on Saturday, is the guy that I coached, you know, for all those years. I don't know that (Langan) is ever going to be a prototypical, you know, Peyton Manning type of quarterback. He's not,” Campanile said. “But I think he can win a lot of games in college football with his skill-set. You see a lot of guys -- I always say over the years, guys like Taysom Hill and Collin Klein, and Tim Tebow obviously was a Heisman Trophy winner. I'm just saying his skill-set lends well to college football. He's a big, strong, tough, athletic guy and you kind of have to build your team around those skills.”

In the last two wins, Illinois has allowed just 145.5 yards per game on the ground and limited the quarterback to under 200 total yards in the contest.