Oregon doesn’t care about its No. 1 ranking, but Illinois sure does.
The No. 20 Illini visit the Ducks on Saturday at Autzen Stadium with a chance to knock off the top-ranked team in the country. Illinois coach Bret Bielema indicated the ranking is motivation for his squad.
“For me, as a head coach, to ignore that would be silly,” Bielema said this week. “We have to know that that’s the No. 1 team in the country and there’s a reason they’re No. 1. They’re a very good football team. They execute very, very well.”
The Illini (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) haven’t faced the top-ranked team since 2007, when they beat Ohio State on the road 28-21. Illinois finished that season 9-4 and played in the Rose Bowl.
Oregon (7-0, 4-0) has a much different take on the rankings. When asked about it, coach Dan Lanning said, “Who cares?”
“It’s really simple for us when our messaging hasn’t changed the entire year,” Lanning explained. “You don’t sit halfway through a meal and say you’re done eating when there’s still a lot of food left on the plate.
“That’s where we’re at: We’re at the midpoint of the season. We’re not done yet. There’s a lot of things that we still want to accomplish. So that doesn’t really matter for us.”
Oregon is coming off a 35-0 blanking of Purdue. But it was a 32-31 victory over then-No. 2 Ohio State the week before that made a statement in the Ducks’ first season in the Big Ten.
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, rising in the Heisman Trophy conversation, leads the country with a 77% completion rate. He has 15 passing touchdowns and four rushing scores.
“When you’ve got a quarterback in that environment with a team around him, it’s always a challenge,” Bielema said.
Gabriel’s Illinois counterpart is Luke Altmyer, who has thrown for 15 touchdowns this season with just one interception, the best touchdown-to-interception ratio in the Power Four. He’s completing 65.9% of his passes.
Altmyer threw for a touchdown and ran for another in Illinois’ 21-7 victory over No. 24 Michigan last weekend. The win was the Illini’s third over a Top 25 opponent this season — their most since 2007.
The last time Oregon played Illinois was in 1995, the first home game for then-Ducks coach Mike Bellotti. Ricky Whittle rushed for three touchdowns and Oregon won 34-31 after trailing at the half.
Unsung hero
Bielema declared that left guard Josh Gesky was one of the team’s offensive MVPs last week for his role in holding back touted Michigan defensive linemen Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, two likely NFL draft picks.
“Gesky’s journey started three years ago,” Bielema said. “To have him put himself in a position to develop his body physically, mentally, the skill set with (offensive line coach Bart Miller) and the offensive line, he played his best game since I’ve been here and arguably against two of the best players he’s played against all year.”
Gesky, one of three Illinois offensive linemen who started last season, wasn’t dwelling on his success against Michigan — not with Oregon looming.
“Yeah, but now I’ve got to bring it forward and now I’ve got to bring it on to Oregon,” Gesky told reporters. “Can’t live in the past. Got to look forward.”
Holden back
Lanning said wide receiver Traeshon Holden will be available for the Illinois game after sitting out against Purdue.
Holden was ejected in the first half against Ohio State for spitting on Buckeyes cornerback Davison Igbinosun. He later apologized on social media.
Lanning said Holden would face internal discipline. He dressed but did not play against Purdue. Holden has 20 catches for 306 yards and three touchdowns this season.
Keep an eye on …
Illinois linebacker Gabe Jacas has 5½ sacks, 7½ tackles for a loss and 42 total tackles this season. Against Michigan he had 13 tackles, including six solo, 2½ sacks and a forced fumble.
“If you turn on the film you see relentless effort from this defense consistently,” Lanning said. “Even when balls might get down the field on them, you see the way they chase the ball, attack the ball.
“They’re consistently attacking the ball and you can tell they preach it. That’s not something that happens on accident, and he’s certainly one of those guys that does that.”
No. 20 Illinois (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) at No. 1 Oregon (7-0, 4-0)
- Time/TV: 2:30 p.m. Saturday, CBS-2.
- Line: Oregon by 21½.
- Series: Oregon leads 2-1.
Facts & figures
The Ducks have 12 straight home wins. Last season they went 7-0 at Autzen Stadium. … This is Illinois’ first regular-season trip to a West Coast state since visiting Washington in 2014. … The Illini have three wins over AP Top 25 teams for the third time in program history. Illinois is 3-1 against ranked teams this season. … . Tez Johnson leads the Ducks with 536 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. … Illinois has been ranked for six consecutive weeks, its most since 2007. … Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel has 140 career touchdown passes and needs just three more to pass Kellen Moore for No. 2 on the NCAA’s all-time list.
