Kansas Jayhawks at Fighting Illini: What to know about KU football vs. Illinois

The Kansas Jayhawks looked sharp in their season opener on Thursday against Lindenwood.

KU beat the Lions 48-3 at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan., and Jayhawks coach Lance Leipold was pleased with his team’s performance.

Well, mostly.

“For a first game, its about what I had hoped for,” Leipold said. “Little miscommunication there between (quarterback Jalon Daniels) and (receiver) Luke (Grimm) on the throw, but hey, he got that one out of the way. I thought Jalon played really well.”

Now, Kansas is preparing for a more formidable opponent in Illinois. The Illini easily beat Eastern Illinois 45-0 last Thursday.

The Jayhawks will face Illinois on Saturday in Champaign — KU’s first road game.

Here’s everything you need to know about this week’s game:

KU football vs. Illinois game details

Kickoff: 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7

Where: University of Illinois Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

TV: FS1

Radio: Jayhawk Radio Network; WHB (810) in Kansas City

Early betting line: Kansas is a 5.5-point favorite.

Five things to know

1. These teams have played each other before. The Jayhawks faced Illinois at home last season, winning 34-23. This game will end the schools’ current home-and-home series. KU and Illinois have met six times overall, splitting 3-3. If KU wins Saturday, the Jayhawks will have beaten the Fighting Illini three straight times.

2. According to media covering the 18-team Big Ten, Illinois will finish No. 13 in league. Last season, the Illini had a 5-7 record and finished last in the Big Ten West. The league did away with divisions this year, so Illinois will compete straight-up with 17 other teams in the conference this fall.

3. Eastern Illinois is no powerhouse but, Illinois looked great last week. Illinois QB Luke Altmyer threw for 214 yards and 4 TDs and Kaden Feagin ran for 108 yards and a TD vs. Eastern Illinois, a preseason pick to finish second in its league. The Illini’s 2024 season is already off to a better start than last year — Illinois nearly lost to Toledo in last season’s opener.

4. The Illini took a significant step back defensively last season. Last season’s Illinois defense gave up 24 points or more nine times. That happened just twice in 2022. Still, their run defense was a strong point. According to Pro Football Focus, Illini had top-40 team-level grades in both run defense (38th) and tackling (27th) last year. Illinois returns five major contributors from that defensive line. Dennis Briggs Jr., a transfer from Florida State, is also expected to be a major factor this season.

5. Altmyer was hit-or-miss last season. Altmyer, the Fighting Illini’s dual-threat QB, threw for 13 touchdowns and 1,883 yards in 2023, but he also tossed 10 interceptions — including two against the Jayhawks. Generally speaking, however, KU had trouble containing dual-threat QBs like Altmyer a year ago. He ran for 70 yards and two TDs on 13 carries vs. Kansas last fall. This game will be a good measuring stick for KU’s retooled defense.