Three Keys for the Kansas Jayhawks Against the Illinois Fighting Illini
The Kansas Jayhawks are once again in action on a Friday night, but this time they have a Power Five opponent on the other side: The Illinois Fighting Illini. And while they dominated the first game of the season, this one will require them to do some very specific things to prevail in what will likely be a close game.
So here are my top three keys to Friday night's game in David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
Establish the Deep Threat
Coming into the season, the biggest question mark on the defense for Illinois was the ability of their defensive secondary. There are a bunch of new players, and the secondary was a spot of weakness last year. Meanwhile, the Jayhawks have made a living going deep to punish the defenses that creep up to take away the run game.
Last week was a good week for the Illinois defensive secondary, as they mostly held Toledo in check. In fact, they were good enough that they were able to make up for defensive lapses in the front 7, which was expected to be a huge strength. But Kansas can keep that threat there to make them back off, opening things up for the rest of the offense as well.
Early Pressure
Luke Altmyer was an unknown coming into the season. The transfer quarterback had an up and down career before coming to Illinois, but he showed the ability to command the field and also extend plays with his legs last week. Lucky for the Jayhawks, they are used to seeing a quarterback like that in practice every single day.
It's fair to wonder if any of the receivers are good enough to bail Altmyer out of a sticky situation. And while the running backs are decent, they aren't as good as what Kansas has. Some early pressure on the quarterback, combined with good containment on the plays he decides to take off and run, and this could be a long night for the Illini offense.
Crowd Noise
I know it seems cliche to talk about how important the fans are to the success of this team, but Kansas has done everything they can to hype up the game and make that environment as inhospitable to the opponent as possible. Black jerseys are definitely a gimmick, but they have been done here in a way that doesn't overshadow the history and culture of the program.
And it's impossible to deny just how much better the Jayhawks played at home last season. The defense played with more energy, the offense fed off that energy as well, and as College Gameday last season showed, the crowd can get electric.
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