Illini brace for physical Wisconsin challenge
Illinois is trying to move on after a lopsided loss to Purdue, but it won’t be easy for coach Lovie Smith’s team to get right this week.
The Illini (3-3, 1-2 Pac-12) play at No. 23 Wisconsin on Saturday a week after falling 46-7 to Purdue. Illinois scored the first touchdown of the game halfway through the first quarter … and then it was all Boilermakers.
The Badgers (4-2, 2-1) are coming off a lopsided loss of their own — 38-13 at Michigan — but they have won eight in a row vs. Illinois and remain one of the most physical teams in the country, a difficult matchup for the young Illini.
“With an offensive line as big, as physical, as athletic as Wisconsin has, that’s a tough duty with that commitment to the run,” Smith said.
“When you think of Wisconsin linemen, I think they kind of fit the mold from what you expect from them. Big guys that can play. They’re big, physical, and athletic guys as well. It’ll be a big challenge for our defensive line.”
The Illini gave up 611 total yards to Purdue — 384 passing, 227 rushing. Meanwhile, the offense, led by quarterback AJ Bush Jr., managed just 250 yards.
“We have not played this bad of a game as I have seen,” Smith said. “It happens sometimes, I cannot give you a reason as to why it happens.”
Bush, a grad transfer from Virginia Tech, was in his second game back from a hamstring injury suffered in the first quarter in Week 2 against Western Illinois. He was 12-of-25 for 170 yards, with no touchdowns and one interception. He was sacked three times for a loss of 31 yards, which kept his rushing total at 24 yards for 20 attempts.
Smith was asked about his expectations for Bush against Wisconsin’s defense.
“More production. Make good decisions … lead us,” Smith said.
“Of course when you have a game the way we did (in a win over Rutgers a week earlier), the first guy I’m going to talk to is AJ about the positive things we did. And AJ understands when we have a tough game, the first questions are going to come from the head football coach.
“What we’d like for AJ to do, just like everyone else … have to go back to work. We get a great opportunity this week.”
