Kansas Jayhawks vs. Illinois: Five things to know for Friday’s prime-time football game
The Kansas Jayhawks took care of business in their season opener against Missouri State on Friday.
Despite missing their starting quarterback, Jalon Daniels, and defensive coordinator Brian Borland, the Jayhawks beat Missouri State 48-17.
Backup quarterback Jason Bean was 22-of-28 for 276 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. And four KU running backs — Devin Neal, Daniel Hishaw, Sevion Morrison and Dylan McDuffie — scored touchdowns.
“I feel like (my start) went pretty well,” Bean said. “I felt like we had a good week of preparation. I feel like offensively we took it on all levels. The offensive line played really good, the running backs ran the ball really good and the receivers ran their routes well. I think it was an overall good game by the whole offense.”
Now the Jayhawks are preparing for a more formidable opponent in Illinois. Illinois isn’t an FCS school like the Bears; but a member of the Big Ten.
Illinois comes to Lawrence Friday after prevailing 30-28 over Toledo. The Illini are projected to finish fourth in the Big Ten West and should provide the Jayhawks’ first real test.
THE DETAILS
Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8
Where: David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, Lawrence
TV: ESPN2
Radio: Jayhawk Radio Network; WHB (810) in Kansas City plus Sirius (106/199), SXM App (953).
Early betting line: Kansas is a 3.5-point favorite.
Five things to know
1. Both KU and Illinois started red-hot last season. The Illini won seven of their first eight and ranked as high as No. 14 in the AP poll. Unlike the Jayhawks, Illinois finished in the top half of its division (second), with an above-.500 record of 8-5. Both teams know the Importance of starting the season strong.
2. Defense has been the Illini’s calling card, but ... Illinois ranked No. 1 overall in defense and gave up just 12.8 points per game last season. But former defensive coordinator Ryan Walters is now the head coach at Purdue and lockdown cornerback Devon Witherspoon went No. 5 overall in the NFL Draft. It remains to be seen what kind of defense this team will have in 2023.
3. Don’t overlook the Illini because they nearly lost to Toledo. The Rockets (9-5, 5-3 MAC) won the MAC West last season, so this wasn’t your typical cupcake first-week matchup. Toledo quarterback Dequan Finn threw for over 2,600 yards and ran for another 600 during the 2022 season — and didn’t miss a beat in his team’s 2023 opener.
4. Kansas and Illinois have history. These teams have played five times, with KU winning the first meeting 26-4 in 1892. The Illini then won the next three matchups. The teams’ most recent showdown came in 1968: KU won 47-7. The schools announced a home-and-home series in January, so they’ll play again in Champaign, Illinois in 2024.
5. KU’s defense can showcase growth against Illini QB Luke Altmyer. All offseason, Jayhawks defensive coordinator Brian Borland and his players touted the improved look of KU’s defense. Limiting dual-threat QB Altmyer on the ground and through the air would validate their assessment. Altmyer isn’t the best QB Kansas will face this season, but he’s a capable signal-caller and should thus provide the Jayhawks a good measuring stick.
