ASU Football Week 2 Preview: Illinois Fighting Illini

The Illini defense also has question marks. The unit benefited greatly from the play of tackle Corey Liuget and defensive end Whitney Mercilus in recent years. Both have departed for the NFL. This season, junior tackle Akeem Spence shows significant promise on the D-line, while junior Jonathan Brown leads a strong linebacking corps.

The greatest uncertainty in the ASU-Illinois match-up on Sept. 8 at Sun Devil Stadium is the health of Scheelhaase, who left last week’s game against Western Michigan with an apparent ankle injury. Backup QB Riley O’Toole subsequently completed 2-of-3 passes for just seven yards. In addition, the Illinois running attack averaged only 2.8 yards per carry.

DevilsInDetail.com prediction: ASU-27, Illinois-17.