Toledo Rockets vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 9/2/2023 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Toledo Rockets vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Saturday, September 2, 2023

Location: Memorial Stadium in Champaign, IL

TV: BTN

Odds/Point Spread: Fighting Illini (-8)

Total/Over-Under: 47

The Toledo Rockets (9-5 last season) are hitting the road to Memorial Stadium on Saturday, September 2, 2023 where they will try to defeat the Illinois Fighting Illini (8-5 last year). Toledo opens this contest as 8-point underdogs. The over/under is 47.

The Toledo Rockets ended the season having earned a 9-5 mark. In their last matchup, the Rockets played the Liberty Flames and earned the victory with a final of 21-19. Jacquez Stuart was the rushing leader for the Rockets with 23 carries for 111 yds (4.8 yards per carry). DeQuan Finn went 16/24 with 133 yds through the air and 1 TD. He had a quarterback rating of 127 and finished the game without throwing an interception. On the ground, the Rockets gave up 102 yards on 20 attempts, which is 5.1 yds per run allowed. Toledo surrendered 13 completions on 21 attempts for a total of 151 yds, and a completion percentage of 61.9%. In the game, they had 84 plays which gave them 356 yards. The Toledo Rockets ended up rushing 56 different times and compiled 173 yards, earning them an average of 3.1 yds per carry.

The Rockets tallied 5,631 total yards over the course of last year. Toledo earned 31 passing touchdowns and 22 touchdowns via the ground. They surrendered the football 27 different times. Toledo accumulated 308 1st downs as a team, and they were flagged for 94 penalties for 770 yds. As a team they held an average of 177.6 yards rushing, giving them a rank of 48th in the nation. Concerning scoring, the Toledo Rockets held an average of 31.3 PPG.

The Rockets were ranked 55th in the nation regarding their opponents scoring, allowing 25.1 points per game. The opposition ran for 3.8 yards per rush and 143.2 rushing yards per contest over the course of last season. Over the course of last season, they conceded 2,005 rushing yards through 14 contests. Regarding passing yardage, the Rockets allowed 2,562 yds which had them ranked 30th in the country. In their 14 games played, they allowed 183.0 yards per game through the air as well as relinquishing a completion percentage of 54.6%. They allowed 326.2 yards per outing putting them at 18th in D-1. They surrendered 17 touchdowns through the air in addition to 25 touchdowns on the ground.

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The Fighting Illini wrapped up their year having earned a 8-5 mark. The last time they took the field, the Fighting Illini took a defeat with a final score of 19-10 against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Tommy Devito finished the game with 253 yds on 23/34 passing while his quarterback rating was 130.2. He didn't throw any picks and his average yards per attempt was 7.4. Reggie Love III ran the ball 11 times for 40 yds, walking away from the contest with 3.6 yards per carry for Illinois. Illinois ran the ball for 0.8 yds per attempt, finishing with a total of 22 yards on 28 attempts. The Fighting Illini finished the game with 275 yards and they ran 62 plays (4.4 yards per play). The Fighting Illini passing defense conceded a completion rate of 66.7%, surrendering 274 yards on 30 out of 45 passing. Illinois gave up 22 run attempts for 116 yards (5.3 yds per rush).

Regarding how much they scored, the Fighting Illini had a ranking of 95th in college football with 24.2 points per outing. Last season, the Fighting Illini had a total of 2,753 yards through the air in addition to an average of 211.8 throwing yards per game, which had them ranked 92nd in Division 1. The Illinois Fighting Illini maintained an average of 378.0 yards/outing, ranking them 74th in D-1. The Illinois offense compiled 798 yards of penalties on 85 infractions, which had them sitting 42nd in the nation in terms of giving up free yards.

The Fighting Illini relinquished 12.8 points per contest, which had them sitting 1st in D-1. Illinois allowed a total of 1,297 yards rushing (99.8 yards per contest) and 7 touchdowns on the ground last season. Overall, they conceded 166 points in total. They yielded 9 touchdowns through the air and 173.8 yards per game, which had them ranked 8th in Division 1. The Fighting Illini defense was on the field for 810 plays, ranking them 25th in Division 1.

Who will win tonight's Rockets/Fighting Illini college football game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Fighting Illini -8

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