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2 0 1 8 S E A S O N P R E V I E W Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia, Michi- gan and Arizona. SCHEDULE The Illlini should be able to get o> to a fast start, with home games against Kent State and Western Illinois. But the nonconference =nale against South Florida in Chicago is no gimme, and then comes the Big Ten opener at Penn State. The good news for the Illini is that PSU is the only East Division powerhouse on their slate; Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State are nowhere to be found. The bad news is that Illinois has given little indication that it can match up with even the league's lesser teams, having totaled only two conference wins in Smith's two seasons, both coming in 2016. GAME OF THE YEAR The Illini need to show they can be competitive against Football Bowl Subdivision foes, regard- less of their conference a?liation. They also need to recruit the Chicago area. Those factors make the South Florida game a big deal. It'll be Smith's return to Soldier Field, and if he can come away with a victory, the Illini may be able to build some momentum heading into a Big Ten slate that is =lled with seemingly beatable opponents. OUTLOOK Smith got the Chicago Bears to the Super Bowl in 2006, so it's fair to assume that Illinois expected more for its money – $20 million over six years – than this. The transitional di?culties in 2016 were expected, but the Illini were even worse in year two of Smith's coach- ing tenure, =nishing 126th in the Foot- ball Bowl Subdivision in scoring o>ense (15.4 points per game) and 91st in scor- ing defense (31.5 ppg). Their only victo- ries last year were over Ball State and Western Kentucky. Heading into the 2018 season, there appears to be some light at the end of the tunnel, but it's a long tunnel. Thanks in part to their re- cent hiring of Cory Patterson as tight ends coach, the Illini have been making recruiting inroads in Missouri. Patterson coached St. Louis football power Trinity Catholic to a 21-2 record the past two seasons, and his best player, Rivals.com four-star QB Isaiah Williams, commit- ted to Illinois in March. The only down side to Williams' commitment is that he won't be donning the Orange and Blue until next year. For now, the best-case scenario is that Illinois shows signs of progress this fall against what looks to be about as so@ a conference schedule as the Big Ten is capable of providing, then parlays its recruiting upturn into an on- =eld turnaround starting in 2019.–M.H. FANTASTIC CUISINE EXCEP TIONAL ATMOSPHERE College & Cato W ve Av . College & Cato carnegieinnandspa.com | 814.234.2424 Corner of Cricklewood Dr. and Toftrees Ave. Corner of Cricklewood Dr. and Toftrees Ave. carnegieinnandspa.com | 814.234.2424 . College & Cato W. College & Cato 814.861.3463 gigisdining.com ve Av . College & Cato 814.861.3463 gigisdining.com TOP RETURNEES PASSING Cam Thomas 28 of 66 | 375 yds. | 0 TD | 5 int. RUSHING Mike Epstein 57 att. | 346 yds. | 3 TD RECEIVING Ricky Smalling 31 rec. | 510 yds. | 2 TD TACKLING Del'Shawn Phillips 46 solo | 39 asst. | 85 total INTERCEPTIONS Bennett Williams 3 int. | 55 yds.

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