Like the No. 7 Wisconsin Badgers (4-2 Big Ten, 7-2 Overall), the Illinois Fighting Illini (2-4, 3-6) have had to rely on a redshirt freshman quarterback under center after starting the season with a redshirt senior who struggled early on.
Jeff George Jr. is now running the U of I offense, and his coaching staff does what they can to take the pressure off of him. It helps having three running backs averaging more than five yards-per-carry this season, and they have opted to run a lot of play action because of them, putting the pressure on opposing defenses instead.
“Play action is going to be a lot harder because they’re going to come out firing like it’s a run play, but there’s just a lot of ‘feel’ things,” redshirt junior outside linebacker T.J. Watt said. “If there’s a tight end to your side, you can kind of feel him release, but they do run a lot of slam-boots as well where the tight end will block down and get out, so it’s just a lot of keeping your eyes in the right spot.”
All eyes on the Badgers’ defense will be in the backfield as they try and slow down the Illini rushing attack. Redshirt junior running back Kendrick Foster put up 146 yards and two touchdowns on the ground last week against Michigan State. That ground threat is what opened up the play action game for George.
Both of the young Illinois quarterback’s touchdown passes came off of the fake handoff in the redzone, drawing in defenders to create more space behind the coverage. His receivers were able to get open for a pair of fourth-quarter scores to win the game.
“If you take away the run, you take away a lot of different things,” Watt said. “So we’re going to definitely have a better read on what they’re going to do to us.”
The play action game is going to put a lot of stress on Wisconsin’s inside linebackers and safeties in particular, who have to do more reading on the fly to figure out what the offense is trying to do to them and react in an instant.
There isn’t a secret strategy or sure-fire indicator of exactly where the ball is going, other than watching the ball itself. Offensive lineman can sometimes give the play away, but Illinois does a good job of disguising their intentions.
“I’m always looking at the quarterback, but just through your peripheral vision, you see the linemen, and dependending on how they block, you can get a feel about what they’re going to do,” junior safety D’Cota Dixon said. “They do a lot of tricky stuff in short down and distances, so it’s really about having good eyes and being fundamentally locked in.”
Wisconsin’s defense will have to be locked in against a young quarterback who is riding the high of leading his team to a fourth-quarter comeback victory. The Illini will try to put George in the best position to succeed, and the Badgers can’t fall victim to his running game and play-action fakes.
