The No. 11 Fighting Illini football team will travel to North Carolina this Saturday to take on the Duke University Blue Devils.
The Illini and Blue Devils both head into their second game undefeated after winning their season opener games last week.
Illinois is off to a hot start as the team scored a 52-3 victory in their first game of the season against Western Illinois.
Heading into the weekend, senior quarterback Luke Altmeyer plans to continue showcasing his improved playmaking and decision-making. The key goal for the Illini will be to slow down the Blue Devils’ offensive attack, which had a strong outing in their week-one matchup against Elon University.
The game will also be the first test of the season for Blue Devils sophomore quarterback Darian Mensah after the Tulane transfer’s performance against Elon.
Mensah was able to put up nearly 400 passing yards to give Duke a 45-17 win.
For the Blue Devils to keep the game close, head coach Manny Diaz will have to come up with a plan to stop Illinois’ run game. Duke’s run defense is ranked 94th in the country, meaning if there is an area for them to focus on, it would be to stop the run.
Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C.