Illinois Football: 3 bold predictions vs. UConn in Week 2

Illinois football is looking to stay on track in 2019 after a blowout win over Akron, but can the Fighting Illini take care of UConn?

Illinois and Connecticut both enter their Week 2 contest undefeated at 1-0. The Fighting Illini dominated Akron 42-3 in their season opener as UConn struggled but defeated FCS opponent Wagner 24-21.

Illinois will make the trip out east to take on the American Athletic Conference opponent at Rentschler Field. The Fighting Illini look to get their first road win since an Oct. 6 victory at Rutgers last season.

Here are three bold predictions for the Saturday afternoon battle.

3. Brandon Peters will have 250 yards, four TDs and QBR over 90

Peters looks to build on a strong first week performance by going on the road and energizing the Fighting Illini offense by attacking a defense that gave up 21 points at home to Wagner from the FCS. If an FCS school that is not considered a top tier program put up three touchdowns against the Huskies, look for Peters to elevate himself into the discussion of being a top-five quarterback in the Big Ten after having a great game.

Peters, after showing his ability to throw on the run, hit his open targets in coverage and using his feet to get into the end zone in Week 1, should have a monster game in Week 2 against UConn. He was a highly-sought after recruit coming out of high school in Indiana before committing to Michigan. In the spring, he announced that he was transferring from the Wolverines and attending grad school and playing his last two seasons at Illinois.

Peters will take advantage of a weak Huskies defense and help put up a lot of points for the Fighting Illini. He looks to take hold of his team and be the clear-cut leader moving forward. Getting Illinois to 2-0 going into next week’s game against Eastern Michigan is key for the program and for him making a statement going into Big Ten play.

2. Reggie Corbin will have over 200 all-purpose yards

The season-ending injury to running back Mike Epstein opens up the door for Corbin to emerge as the running back who will receive the bulk of the carries for the Fighting Illini moving forward.

UConn gave up 115 yards and two touchdowns to Wagner running back Dymitri McKenzie last week. Corbin will have a field day with the Huskies defense and will be able to dominate on the ground and out of the of backfield catching passes. He carried the ball128 times for 1,085 yards and nine touchdowns last season, but is dealing with a minor hip injury but is expected to play against UConn.

This is the game where he asserts himself as the top running back moving forward for the Fighting Illini.

3. Illinois will win by four touchdowns

Not only will Illinois win on the road but they will win by a large margin. Granted, UConn is not a good football team but the Huskies play in arguably the toughest conference in the Group of Five. The Fighting Illini defense will once again dominate an inferior opponent leading to a large margin of victory for Lovie Smith and his team.

The future of the program will become more stable and the fanbase will continue to have more faith in their team after every win this season. Staring off the season undefeated after two weeks is a start but more importantly, Illinois will dominate once again which is different from recent seasons.