Saturday, November 26, 2016

Ryan Field

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The Illinois Fighting Illini take on the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday, November 26, 2016 at Ryan Field. The opening line for this game has Northwestern as 15 point favorites. This season the Fighting Illini are 5-6-0 against the spread and their over/under record is 5-6-0. The Wildcats have an over/under record of 3-8-0 and they are 6-5-0 against the spread.

Wes Lunt finished with 137 yards through the air for Illinois last week. He completed 19 passes out of 41 attempts for a 46% completion percentage. The Fighting Illini were led in rushing by Kendrick Foster, who finished with 50 yards on 16 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 3 yards per carry. Zach Grant was the team leader in receiving with a total of 65 yards and 8 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 8 yards per reception. As a team in that game Illinois got a total of 10 first downs. Of those first downs, 3 came on the ground while 7 came through the air. They ran 65 total plays for 198 yards for the game. The Fighting Illini ran for 61 yards on 24 attempts.

Clayton Thorson finished with 276 yards passing for Northwestern last week. He went 28 for 45, resulting in a 62% completion percentage. The Wildcats were led on the ground by Justin Jackson, who finished with 90 yards on 22 carries. He ended the game with an average of 4 yards per rush. Austin Carr led the team in receiving with 68 yards and 5 catches. He finished the game with an average of 14 yards per reception. Northwestern had 21 first downs total. 6 came from running the ball and 13 came from a pass. They ran 78 total plays for 339 yards for the contest. The Wildcats ran for 63 yards on 33 carries as a team.

Illinois scores 19.5 points per game on offense this season, which ranks 122nd in Division 1. In the passing department, they average 14.1 passes on 27.6 attempts for a 51 percent completion percentage this season. They throw for a total of 156.2 yards per game through the air as well, which ranks them 117th in college football. The Fighting Illini run for an average of 148.1 yards per game on 29.7 attempts for an average of 5 yards per carry. That ranks them 100th in the nation. They also run 57.4 plays per contest and average 5.3 yards per play for an average of 304.3 yards per game, ranking their offense 125th overall this season. The Fighting Illini average 14.1 first downs per game which ranks them 128th in the country. They accumulate 52.6 penalty yards per game via 6.3 penalties, which ranks 76th in the nation.

Illinois allows 191.8 passing yards per game, ranking 23rd in D-1, and they allow 31 points per contest on defense, which ranks 85th. They give up 16.5 completions on 26.2 attempts per game for a completion percentage of 62.8. The Fighting Illini allow 213.8 rushing yards per game on 47.3 carries for an average of 4.5 yards per carry, which ranks their rush defense 100th in the country. Illinois allows 405.6 total yards per game including 5.5 yards per play, which ranks their overall defense 63rd in terms of yards per game. They force 1.5 turnovers per contest and get flagged for 5.2 penalties for 44.3 yards per game, ranking them 27th among D-1 teams.

Northwestern averages 24.1 points per game this season on offense, which ranks them 101st in the country. In the passing department, they complete 22.4 passes per game on 38.8 attempts for a 57.6 percent completion percentage. They throw for 259.2 yards through the air per game, ranking them 40th in Division 1. The Wildcats run for an average of 133.3 yards per game on 36.5 attempts for an average of 3.7 yards per carry this season, which ranks them 113th on the ground. They also run 75.3 plays per game and average 5.2 yards per play for a total of 392.5 yards per game, ranking them 82nd in the country on offense. The Wildcats get an average of 21.1 first downs per game, which ranks 70th in the nation. They average 27.6 penalty yards per game via 3.5 penalties, ranking them 127th in college football.

Northwestern allows an average of 254.7 passing yards per game, which ranks 93rd in Division 1. Their defense overall allows 22.2 points per contest, which has them ranked 30th in the nation. They give up 23.5 completions on 37.5 attempts for a completion percentage of 62.7 per game. The Wildcats allow 144.1 rushing yards per contest on 38 carries for a 3.8 average per rush, ranking their overall rush defense 39th in the country. Northwestern allows 398.8 total yards per game for an average of 5.3 yards per play, which ranks 59th in D-1. They force 1.5 turnovers per contest and 4.5 penalties for 43.9 yards in each contest, ranking 25th in the nation.

Illinois Betting Trends

Illinois is 5-6-0 against the over/under this season

Illinois has an ATS record of 5-6-0 this season

Northwestern Betting Trends

Northwestern is 3-8-0 against the over/under this season

Northwestern has an ATS record of 6-5-0 this season

Injuries to Watch

Illinois

11/20/16 DL Jamal Milan Concussion "?" Saturday vs. Northwestern
11/20/16 WR Malik Turner Concussion "?" Saturday vs. Northwestern
11/20/16 DL Rob Bain Undisclosed "?" Saturday vs. Northwestern
11/02/16 WR Dominic Thieman Leg out for season
10/26/16 2nd QB Chayce Crouch Shoulder out for season
09/17/16 DB Caleb Day ACL out for season
09/08/16 RB Dre Brown ACL out indefinitely
09/08/16 WR Mike Dudek ACL out indefinitely

Northwestern

11/20/16 WR Austin Carr Head injured last game, "?" Saturday vs. Illinois
10/24/16 CB Matthew Harris Undisclosed has left team
09/18/16 RB Warren Long Hand expected to miss 3-4 weeks
08/19/16 DB Keith Watkins II Knee out for season

Guy's Pick: Take Northwestern -15

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