Missed the first week with my observation post, but didn't want to miss this one:
(1) It's obvious to everyone, the offensive line is very concerning. Let's talk the bad: Crisler's PFF blocking grade is in the single digits, which seems impossible. There are 405 tackles who have completed at least one passing block rep this season, Crisler is ranked 393rd and he has the lowest grade of all tackles with at least 35 pass blocking snaps. Pearl's numbers are miles better than Crisler, but still sluggish. This is the crux of the offensive issues - one of your tackles has the worst pass blocking grade in the country and the other is below average. There are options to course correct, but there isn't a sure-fire solution. You could move Adams to right tackle and decide on the right combination of Slaughter - Crisler - Gesky for the guard spots. The issue here is you take your best guard and move him to a position where his performance is likely reduced. Plus, Adams is the only guard on the team that has a solid run and pass blocking grade, the others are a mixed bag. The other options are bringing in Henderson (true freshman) or Whitenack (redshirt freshman). Both have long-term potential, both had some buzz from camp, neither has played a meaningful snap this year. Whitenack has a few snaps last year, but not enough to judge his performance.
(2) Keep in mind everything I said above, Altmyer has been better than advertised. With a revolving door on his front side, he's shown an ability to move the offensive with his arm and legs. He's showed some toughness through two games. His eyes drifted down against Kansas, but that's understandable (still needs to be cleaned up). Teams will start changing things up on him, so we'll see how he adjusts going forward.
(3) Running game looked better against Kansas. Illinois was behind so quickly that it couldn't be utilized. It's possible that Kansas was content with letting Illinois pick up 6 yards/carry with a big lead. Offensive line run blocking grades are much better than pass blocking, so finding a way to become more balanced on offense will be manna from heaven.
(4) Interior defensive line was much improved against Kansas compared to Toledo. Good adjustment from the stars and the coaching staff there. With the way the OLBs are playing, Illinois is going to need peak Newton + Randolph 100% of the time to have a chance. Another good sign is all of the nose tackles are also putting up solid grades on PFF (Daxon, Edwards, McConnell).
(5) Roughly on pace for have two, 25-catch TEs this year. Moore has a pair of really good hands. Reiman is more balanced. Could be the best pair of pass-catching tight ends at Illinois since late 2000's.
(6) All of the linebackers have been awful. The Kansas game has to be one of the worst linebacker performances in a while for Illinois. Odeluga with a bunch of missed tackles. Rosiek getting cooked in coverage. Barnes doing the terrible combo of bad rushing defense and poor coverage. All of the edges/OLBs are struggling too, sans Alec Bryant.
(7) The coming storm is the run defense has been awful. Lots of focus has been made on the inexperience of the Illinois secondary. Toledo made a mistake not leaning on their running game more in the second half. Kansas did not repeat that mistake. With many B1G West QBs struggling to start the year, Illinois is going to have to prove they can stop the run. Newton and Randolph showed they can help revive some of the pass rush. Stretching the field, zone-read concepts have been shredding this team. Seeing lots of comments about Bailey coming back will be a big lift, but will it? What's the answer for stopping the run?
(8) Special teams has been much improved. Robertson's average, hang time, and inside-20 numbers are all substantially higher. Griffin has been perfect, deep kickoffs. Coverage has been great. Coaching hire looks excellent.
(9) Secondary - Miles Scott has proven he's a starter and solid. Nicholson has been okay. His coverage numbers are good but he has 40% of the defensive penalties on the season, which is bananas. Bush has been as advertised, solid but unspectacular - someone you would rather have as one of your top reserves instead of starting. Xavier Scott has been good in run support (might be the only one) but coverage has been awful. Strain has been bad. McCantos looks like he needs another year before he can contribute effectively in lots of snaps. Similar to our feelings about the assumed strengths and weaknesses across the roster, it's actually been the safeties who look better than the corners. This is part of the complication of Bailey returning. Him coming back is still an obvious positive, as it might give Illinois' defense more personnel flexibility. That said, it would be more comforting if Illinois had an experienced and dynamic cornerback that was returning this week because of how poorly the unit has played in the first two weeks.
(10) Wanted to end this on a couple positives. Two weeks ago we collectively felt good about the offensive line except center. Kreutz has been excellent. He has the second-best pass blocking grade in the country. He's also in top-30 for run blocking. This is where you can dream of this offensive line gelling as they progress into the season; Kreutz is showing great promise and Adams will be one of the best guards in the conference (if he stays there). If Crisler moving back to guard brings back his 2021 version, then your interior offensive line is set. Pearl's grades are average and likely to increase if the interior line is set based on his experience. It takes some squinting, but you can believe that finding a right tackle will unlock this offensive line.
(11) It's possible that Illinois has played the two most explosive offenses of the season in weeks 1 + 2. Toledo put up 70+ this week against a crummy opponent (regardless, 70 points...). Kansas proved last year they were excellent on offense and destroyed Illinois' defense this week. The positives for the defense going forward is (a) they haven't faced dynamic QBs like Finn and Daniels recently and won't face another for the rest of the season, (b) Illinois' defense has had a history of slow starts the past two seasons and their performance so far align with said history, and (c) a new DC that had to be expected to take some lumps. The negative is that Penn State has shown an excellent offense so far and FAU's offense looks much improved.
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