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Illinois Football: 4 Takeaways From the Murray State Win

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Nov 28, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; The Illinois Fighting Illini seniors salute the crowd prior to a game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Soldier Field. Northwestern won 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

There were a few things one could take from the Illinois football win against Murray State on Saturday.

What really impressed me is how crisp the Illinois Fighting Illini played. They executed the game plan well on both sides of the ball and there weren’t any glaring issues that popped into my mind.

I came away from this win more optimistic than before, and this is coming from a fan that picked the Illini to go 8-4 this season.

Here are four takeaways from the win over Murray State.

1) The Lovie Effect is Real

There is no question in my mind that the Lovie Effect is a real thing when it comes to recruiting. But, the game today against Murray State showed me that it translates onto the football field as well.

I am not putting a ton of stock into a 52-3 win against FCS Murray State.

This game should have been a cakewalk and that is exactly what we witnessed on Saturday.

Illinois has blown out their opening opponent in years past as well.

In 2015, the Illini beat Kent State to open the year. The score ended up being 52-3, just like this season.

The year before that, Illinois beat Youngstown State 28-17. And the year before that it was Southern Illinois that the Illini beat, 42-34.

All of these victories counted the same. Illinois is now 1-0 on the season, but for some reason, this year just feels different.

I have to attribute this feeling to the Lovie Effect. I feel a sense of comfort knowing that Lovie is the head coach of this football team.

Lovie has the experience on game day and that experience is invaluable.

I am not expecting every game to be a win because that is unrealistic. But, with the Lovie Effect hitting the football field I do expect at least a bowl game appearance.

Nov 21, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini running back Kendrick Foster (25) rushes with the ball for a first down in the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

2) Illinois Has a Dominant Duo at Running Back

Heading into the 2016 season every Illinois fan knew what we had at the starting running back role.

Ke’Shawn Vaughn was tabbed as the starting running back for the Illini and rightfully so. He ran for 723 yards and 6 touchdowns in his true freshman season.

Vaughn also had to deal with part-time work because he was behind starting running back Josh Ferguson.

But, now Vaughn is the starting running back and that gives comfort to Illinois fans everywhere.

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What we all didn’t know was how solid the backup position was going to be.

There were three running backs that had a shot at the backup role.

Kendrick Foster, Reggie Corbin, and incoming true freshman Tre Nation all were options to play the No. 2 running back on the team.

Today all Illini fans learned that Lovie and the Illinois football team might have one of the best running back duos in the Big Ten.

Vaughn received 17 carries for 49 yards and a touchdown today, but when he needed rest, the ball was given to Foster.

Foster showed Illini nation why he deserved to be the backup to Vaughn.

In the second quarter, Foster broke off a 56-yard touchdown run to give the Illini a 28-0 lead. Later in the second quarter, he broke off another 56-yard touchdown run to give the Illini a 35-3 lead.

The great burst and speed that Foster possesses are a nice change of pace for Vaughn. He finished the game with 4 carries for 118 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Illinois not only had a backup running back do great things against Murray State, but I think they also found out that the combination of Vaughn and Foster could be one of the best one-two punches in the Big Ten.

Nov 28, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; A general shot of a Illinois Fighting Illini helmet during the second half against the Northwestern Wildcats at Soldier Field. Northwestern won 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

3) Julian Hylton is the Real Deal

The depth chart for the Illinois football team was released just a few weeks ago. This confirmation on positions wasn’t too shocking, but there were a few players that I was surprised made the starting squad.

One of those surprising players was strong safety Julian Hylton.

No one really has seen Hylton play meaningful snaps in his freshman campaign. He played in a total of six games and had seven tackles in those contests.

Just a few weeks ago, though, Hylton was surprisingly named the starting strong safety for the Illini this season.

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There were original projections of Caleb Day starting at the position, but it ended up being Hylton that beat everyone out.

The secondary for the Illini has also been under some scrutiny as well. They have been named as the weakest part of the Illinois defense by many outlets and fans.

But, what I witnessed against Murray State was not a weak secondary. In fact, I think Hylton made it one heck of a stout secondary.

The great play for Hylton started the first drive of the game.

On the second play of the game, Murray State quarterback KD Humphries was rushed and threw the ball which was intercepted by Hylton.

This interception started a wave of great play for the Illini and was exactly what the team needed.

Having Hylton play the way he did against Murray State will only boost his confidence in the future. No one should question what Lovie is doing right now because his move of Hylton to strong safety was brilliant.

Oct 4, 2014; Champaign, IL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini wide receiver Justin Hardee (19) makes a catch against the Purdue Boilermakers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports

4) Don’t Worry About the Wide Receivers

Throughout the preseason and heading into this first game I heard a bunch of negative rhetoric about the depth at wide receiver.

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Well, I never felt that this negative talk was justified and I was validated in my opinion today.

The starting duo of Malik Turner and Justin Hardee is probably one of the top duos in the Big Ten.

Turner made a huge impact early on with 3 catches for 83 yards and 2 touchdowns. This was a great day for Turner and I expect him to continue this great success into the future.

Hardee played some meaningful snaps as well. He had 1 catch for 31 yards, but this was the first game he has played in since 2014.

These two guys are going to be greatly important if the Illini passing game wants to stay on point.

The other wide receivers did pretty well too.

Desmond Cain continued to show the promise he displayed last season with 2 catches for 37 yards and a touchdown.

I also liked what Sam Mays brought to the table as well. He caught 2 passes for 27 yards.

Illinois fans got the chance to see what they have at wide receiver and it helped validate Illinois’ true depth at the position.

I think Lovie has a nice stable of wide receivers that are just going to continue to improve throughout the next few years.

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