The Kansas Jayhawks’ first road test comes in the second week in the year against a Big Ten opponent that will give KU a good litmus of what type of season might be in store. 

This is the return game from last year’s matchup where Kansas earned a 34-23 win during the blackout game on a Friday night at The Booth. KU led 28-7 at the half in the first of three games Jalon Daniels played in 2023. Daniels threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns and an interception as Kansas compiled 539 yards of total offense while holding Illinois to 341.

First Down 

The Illini ended the season just outside of bowl eligibility at 5-7 after losing five of its final eight games, including against Purdue and Nebraska who both had losing records. Despite the struggles in the win column, Illinois had four players drafted in the NFL this spring. 

Second Down

The defense saw a big drop off from 2022 when Ryan Walters was the defensive coordinator. But when Walters left for the Purdue head coaching job, Illinois went from allowing a nation’s best 12.8 points per game in 2022 to a 96th best 29.4 ppg in 2023. Part of that was talent that left for the NFL – mainly Devon Witherspoon – but the Illini had talent this year as well. At the top was defensive lineman Jer’Zhan Newton, who was a second-round pick in the NFL Draft.

Third Down

Another key to Illinois’ success will be the play of quarterback Luke Altmyer. Altmyer was just fine in his first year with the program after transferring from Ole Miss. He completed 64% of his passes but threw for just 1,883 yards and 13 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. Though he did provide some decent production on the ground, with 282 yards and three rushing touchdowns. But his leading receiver – Casey Washington – is gone after being drafted in the sixth round. 

Josh Paddock played in seven games and was a fixture late in the season for Illinois’ final three games and ended with 1,278 yards, nine TDs and three picks. His best game was a win over Indiana where he threw for 507 yards, four TDs, and an interception. 

Fourth Down

One big area to watch with this matchup being early in the season is Illinois’ offensive line. Both starting tackles from last year’s squad are gone, and four linemen overall are no longer with the team. Meanwhile, only two returnees have more than 10 starts for their career. It looks like the Illini did a solid job in the transfer portal, but how quickly they can gel is still to be determined. 

I would guess Kansas at this point would be the favorite in this game – as long as everyone stays healthy through the beginning of the season – but this is still a true road game against a Big Ten team that has the potential to be solid. It should be a fun matchup early in the season, and makes sense why it’s the FS1 primetime game.