CHANNAHON —The Illinois Department of Transportation announced on Thursday that repairs to the bridge carrying Interstate 55 over the Des Plaines River, in Channahon, will begin, weather permitting, Tuesday, Sept. 3.

To complete the work, motorists should expect overnight and weekend lanes closures in both directions of I-55 approaching the bridge. The closures are scheduled to take place, weather permitting, from approximately 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sundays through Thursdays, from 9 p.m. Fridays to 9 a.m. Saturdays and from 9 p.m. Saturdays to 11 a.m. Sundays. At least one lane in each direction will remain open.

Digital message boards will be installed in advance of the work zone to display real time traffic information. To bypass excessive backups and congestion Illinois 47 and Interstate 80 are recommended alternative routes.

The $4 million project, which consists of replacing expansion joints and installing a new deck overlay, is anticipated to be completed in December.

The public can expect delays and should allow extra time for trips through this area. Alternative routes are encouraged. Drivers are urged to pay close attention to flaggers and signs in the work zones, obey the posted speed limits and be on the alert for workers and equipment.

No. 25 Iowa will unveil what it hopes will be an improved offense under first-year coordinator Tim Lester when it opens the season against Illinois State in Iowa City on Saturday.

Based on his experience from knocking around the Big Ten as a defensive assistant in the 1990s and 2000s, Redbirds coach Brock Spack predicted even if the Hawkeyes’ offense is improved, there won’t necessarily be anything new about it.

Spack quoted the tough-guy title character in the 1971 movie “Billy Jack” to make his point.

“Billy Jack says, ‘You know what, I’m going to put my right foot on the side of your face, and there’s nothing you can do about it,’” Spack said. “That’s Iowa football. They’re going to try to run that outside sprint and inside zone and they’re going to say, ‘There’s nothing you can do about it.’”

The Hawkeyes won 10 games and made it to the Big Ten championship game last year in spite of an offense that ranked at the bottom of the Bowl Subdivision. Brian Ferentz, coach Kirk Ferentz’s son, finished the season as coordinator after athletic director Beth Goetz announced in October he would not be back in 2024.

Lester, hired in January, spent last season as a senior analyst for the Green Bay Packers. The offense may feature more motion and perhaps some run-pass options for quarterback Cade McNamara, but nothing too flashy.

“I think good effort obviously, playing fundamentally sound and not doing things that are going to beat us, would be a good starting point,” he said. “Then if we can get a little momentum going and hit a couple plays, that’s always a good thing, too. That’s usually what it takes for offensive production.”

Wallace is in charge

Head coach Kirk Ferentz will serve a self-imposed one-game suspension along with wide receivers coach Jon Budmayr for committing a recruiting violation

Assistant head coach Seth Wallace, the linebackers coach and assistant defensive coordinator, will take over Ferentz’s game-day duties.

“I would say we want to (win) for him, but at the end of the day, we’re also doing it for our teammates,” defensive back Sebastian Castro said.

Ferentz said there’s no need for the team to rally around his absence.

“We’ve got a good group of guys, and the staff will do a great job,” he said. “To me it’s almost a non-factor. It could be the same thing if I got hit by a truck or something like that.”

Cade says he’s OK

McNamara, who tore the ACL in his left knee in the fifth game last year, made it to game week with no health problems.

“I’ve gotten over it,” he said. “My leg’s not injured. There’s no injury, there’s nothing. This is the best my body has felt, I’m fully confident of that.”

Surprise RB starter

Kamari Moulton is listed as the No. 1 running back on the Iowa depth chart ahead of veterans Leshon Williams and Kaleb Johnson. Ferentz said Williams has been battling a nagging injury and Moulton merits the job for being consistently sharp at practice. Moulton appeared in four games last season to preserve his redshirt and ran for 50 yards and two touchdowns.

Redbirds’ starting QB?

The identity of Illinois State’s starting quarterback remained a mystery as of midweek. Spack said before preseason practice he’ll likely have a two-quarterback system with 2023 backup Tommy Rittenhouse and Kansas State transfer Jake Rubley.

Thanks for the memories

The Redbirds have played eight games against a Bowl Subdivision team since Spack took over in 2009. Five of those have been against Big Ten opponents, with the Redbirds beating Northwestern 9-7 in 2016. They’ve also knocked off Colorado State (2018) and Eastern Michigan (2012). Iowa will pay Illinois State a $650,000 guarantee.

“What I like about them is it’s a bus ride — you don’t spend a lot of money on an airplane — and the kids in the Big Ten (footprint), most of them are from the Midwest, if not Illinois and the Chicago area. They watched these teams and now get to play against them.”

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IOWA CITY, Iowa – No. 25 Iowa kicks off its season Saturday, the 26th campaign with Kirk Ferentz as head coach. Only, he won’t be there because he’s suspended. That’s one of several interesting storylines as it pertains to the matchup with Illinois State at Kinnick Stadium. 

Seth Wallace Audition

Ferentz and first-year receivers coach Jon Budmayr will be away from the team on game day due to a self-imposed suspension resulting from a recruiting violation. It’s the first time the Hawkeyes have been led by anyone not named Kirk Ferentz or Hayden Fry since November of 1978. 

That guy will be Seth Wallace, who was named assistant head coach this past offseason. The Grinnell High and Coe College alum began coaching Iowa’s linebackers in 2016. 

It could be considered an audition, of sorts, for Iowa and Wallace. Ferentz, who turns 70 next year, sees Wallace as head coaching material and might even recommend him as his replacement. And Wallace adds Saturday’s experience to his resume for any future employer. 

Spooky FCS Stories 

Frightening Tales of Iowa facing FCS opponents were told at the football facility throughout the week. North Dakota State owns a win at Kinnick Stadium, and South Dakota State and Northern Iowa almost pulled off upsets. 

Leaning on prior pitfalls serves to tamp down overconfidence, especially for the inexperienced team members. And there are FCS programs in this region of the country capable of hanging with sleepy power-conference opponents. 

Hawkeye DL Deontae Craig referenced the 7-3 victory against South Dakota State in the ’22 season-opener earlier this week. He experienced that one. 

The veteran student-athletes will keep reminding the locker room that the Hawkeyes must improve no matter who they’re playing. Illinois State does not appear to be on the same level as the FCS squads that haunt Kinnick but also should not be overlooked. 

The Redbirds are coming off a 6-5 season with an offense that ranked 12th in the FCS. They have 10 transfer-portal additions, eight of which arrived from the FBS. 

There could be a feeling-out period early on Saturday, but the home team should wear down ISU with depth and physicality. If that doesn’t happen, worry, but don’t panic. It’s early. 

McNamara & Sullivan 

It’s not a law firm specializing in injury cases. Iowa’s top two quarterbacks are tasked with reviving a dormant Iowa offense, however. 

Cade McNamara emerged from a tight camp competition with Brenden Sullivan this month and is expected to start against the Redbirds. The coaches saw the sixth-year senior as the team’s best path to victory. 

What we don’t have a great handle on is how close the competition was, is now and might be moving forward. That judgment begins when the curtain to the public is lifted on Saturday. 

McNamara and the offense clicking from the jump and throughout the game would be the ideal scenario. Odds of that happening seem long considering there’s a new coordinator in Tim Lester and the quarterback is coming back from his second knee surgery in as many years. 

More likely there will be bumps. We’ll see if they’re accompanied by boos. Most importantly, victory is achieved. 

It’s going to take some massaging of this offense in getting it up to speed after undergoing a much-needed overhaul. How the process is handled will be a key factor in the ultimate outcome. 

IMPORTANT STUFF 

Iowa Game Notes

Time, Day, TV: 11 am CT, Saturday, BTN

Online/App: foxsports.com/FOX

Announcers: Mark Followill, PBP; Anthony Herron, Analyst; Melanie Ricks, sideline. 

Point Spread/Total: Iowa -22.5/40.5

If You’re Going: Kinnick Stadium Game Day Info/Guidelines

Opponent Fun Fact: Interesting connection between the school and the Civil War

Illinois State Alumni: Richard Roeper; Adam Kinzinger; Gary Cole; Laurie Metcalf. 

Bottom Line: If the Hawkeyes hope to achieve their lofty goals in 2024, they should win this ballgame comfortably. They don’t necessarily have to look like world beaters, but a positive performance with signs of life on offense would be a welcomed result. 

Prediction: Iowa 31, Illinois St. 9