Illinois vs. Kansas Prediction: How Will Jalon Daniels, Jayhawks Look Against the Fighting Illini?
The Illinois Fighting Illini are in Kansas, taking on the Jayhawks tonight. Jalon Daniels returns to the Jayhawks after missing the last game. How will he and the Jayhawks look against the Fighting Illini? Handicapper Krabs answers.
Krabs - September 8, 2023, 1:22 PM EDT
5 minIllinois vs. Kansas Prediction: How Will Jalon Daniels, Jayhawks Look Against the Fighting Illini?
Football is back, folks. We are blessed with another Friday night college football game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Kansas Jayhawks. All the hype in this game is centered around Kansas, with their starting QB Jalon Daniels returning to the field after missing the season opener. Unfortunately for Kansas and Daniels, tonight isn’t an ideal matchup for the dual-threat QB to make his return.
Illinois vs. Kansas Date, Start Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: September 8, 2023
- Game Time: 7:30 pm ET
- Where to Watch: ESPN2
Illinois vs. Kansas Prediction
This Illinois defense might not have shown it last week against Toledo, but they are legit. Yes, the majority of their secondary from 2022 is now in the NFL, but they return the majority of their defensive line. This will be pivotal for Illinois to counter the return of Daniels, who’s more of a threat on the ground than he is through the air.
I’ll give Daniels credit; he was electric in the first half of the season and was the main reason why this team was in a position to make a bowl game last season. Daniels' production tailed off significantly in the second half of the season, though. It could have been injury-related… either way, he returns tonight against a loaded DL with plenty of NFL talent. If Daniels wasn’t healthy enough to play in the season opener, does the public really expect him to be 100% a week later? I’m willing to bet Daniels won’t be at full strength, and against this stout defensive line, don’t expect him to carry this offense to victory.
Illinois is going to utilize their elite offensive line against a poor Kansas defense tonight. Although they might not have their star RB from a season ago, Reggie Love is a perfectly capable runner. Let’s not forget how poorly this Jayhawks’ defense played last year. Expect Illinois to dominate this game in the trenches on both sides of the ball.
Luke Altmyer looked solid in his debut for the Fighting Illini last week. He was once a highly-touted four-star recruit before transferring from Ole Miss this offseason. Altmyer is a dual-threat QB who looked comfortable running this offense against Toledo last week. He led the charge for their second-half comeback. Expect Altmyer to carry that confidence into tonight’s matchup against a weak Jayhawks defense.
The public loves backing Daniels and this explosive Kansas offense, but this is a horrible matchup for the star QB to be plugged back into the fold. Illinois had one of the best red zone defenses in football last season. Daniels might create some havoc early in drives, but the Jayhawks’ offense will stall out and have to settle for field goals in this contest. Field goals might be enough for Kansas to squeak this one out on the moneyline, but I’m willing to grab the points on Illinois’ spread. Their defense is much more impressive than they showed last week; expect them to rattle Daniels in his return to the field tonight.
Illinois vs. Kansas Pick
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