.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
Illinois Football: Preview of the North Carolina Offense
The Illinois football team heads into the game against North Carolina this weekend looking to prove that week one was not a fluke.
Giving up only three points to the Murray State Racers was one thing for the Illinois Fighting Illini, but doing that against the Tar Heels would be spectacular.
North Carolina brings a lot of firepower to the game that the Illinois defense has to stop one way or another.
Here is a preview of their key positions heading into the game on Saturday.
Quarterback: Mitch Trubisky
In 2015, the Illinois football team struggled mightily with North Carolina quarterback Marquise Williams. He threw for 203 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception.
illinois fighting illini
Writing Illini 2wIllinois Basketball: Mayan Kiir Could Be the Next Piece to the Puzzle
More headlines around FanSided:
2w - Illinois Basketball: Illini add point guard Trent Frazier to already stout recruiting class2w - Illinois Basketball: 3 Areas Trent Frazier Will Improve the Illini2w - Illinois Sports: Trent Frazier Commits to Illinois Fighting Illini2w - Illinois Basketball: Trent Frazier Creates Stability with Commitment2w - Illinois Basketball: Ranking the Illini Recruiting Classes for the Last DecadeMore News at Writing Illini
Williams also had a great running ability as he rushed for 105 yards that day as well.
But, Williams graduated and this season the Illini defense will be facing off against Mitch Trubisky.
Trubisky is a junior that hasn’t seen much playing time due to Williams being with the program for four seasons.
Don’t let this lack of playing time fool you, though. Trubisky is the real deal at quarterback.
Last week, the Tar Heels matched up against Georgia who has a pretty stout defense. Trubisky still threw for 156 yards with a 60-percent completion rate.
The numbers don’t jump off the page, but they aren’t bad considering who Trubisky was playing against.
Illinois has to be cognizant of the passing attack this Saturday or they could get burnt a few times.
Running Back: Elijah Hood
The main focus for the Illinois defense on Saturday will be running back Elijah Hood.
Hood is easily the best player for North Carolina and someone who could torch the Illini this season.
In 2015, Hood had a dominate game against the Illini. He rushed the ball 16 times for 129 yards and a touchdown.
If the Illini let this happen in 2016 things could get as ugly as the 48-14 score we witnessed last season.
Hood didn’t start this year off as well as he wanted, though. He rushed 10 times for 72 yards and failed to see the end zone.
But, Hood did hit the 100 total yardage mark with receiving as well. He had 6 catches for 28 yards against Georgia.
It looks like Hood is becoming more of a duel-threat running back and that can only spell troubles for the Illini.
Rob Bain and company need to make sure Hood doesn’t get to the second level on Saturday or it could be an extremely long night.
Get the FanSided App
Wide Receiver: Ryan Switzer
The wily old veteran on the team is wide receiver, Ryan Switzer.
Switzer has had a pretty solid career with the Tar Heels. He caught 61 passes for 757 yards and 4 touchdowns as a sophomore and followed that up with 55 catches, 697 yards, and 6 touchdowns last season.
Illinois got burnt by Switzer in 2015 as well. He caught 3 passes for 50 yards and a touchdown in the 48-14 blowout.
Switzer continued his consistent play in week one against Georgia. He had 7 receptions for 52 yards.
I want to see Illinois shut Switzer down on Saturday, but, honestly, he isn’t the main worry right now.
It would be nice to see Switzer held under 50 yards receiving but it would be even nicer to see Hood under 100 yards rushing.
Illinois has their work cut out for them against North Carolina on Saturday. This team has a great offense and now Illinois needs to show them their defense is better.
More from Writing Illini
This article originally appeared on 
