Steve Sturm, IlliniGuys Football Analyst

September 2, 2024

Welcome to the first trench report of the 2024 football season! Keeping in mind that EIU is an undermanned opponent who was also thumped by its only BCS opponent last year in Bowling Green, it's still nice to come away with a 45-0 win. It was Illinois' first shutout since the 31-0 win over Chattanooga in 2022, and it was certainly a good way to start the season.

Given that we don't get to enjoy shutouts very often, I had to start with the defense this week.

There was a lot of talk about Illinois' "surprise" defensive adjustment after the first game, but IlliniGuys readers were probably not overly surprised that Gabe Jacas was occasionally lining up at defensive end given that we've been talking about that possibility just about from the moment Jacas signed with the Illini. Once Jacas lined up with his hand on the ground for a few snaps last year, savvy Illinois fans looked at the state of the defensive line depth chart and it all seemed to add up perfectly. However, I decided to start this week off with a great reminder of why its not such an obvious solution to bump Jacas to a pseudo defensive end position like the Illini did with Owen Carney back in 2021.  Jacas is so much more dangerous in short areas when he can use his quickness as he does on this play. He isn't a classic power to speed rusher that wouldn't necessarily be unaffected by playing with his hand on the ground. He doesn't have that same sort of explosion, but he does have the agility make plays like this:

Jacas wouldn't be able to make that same sort of play with his hand on the ground. However, as Matt Stevens pointed out in his excellent post-game piece, the Illini apparently intend to pair Jacas with Alex Bray as a sort of DE duo, and that pairing has some possibilities. We also have to expect that Illini didn't open the entire playbook this week, so I'm sure all of you will join me in closely watching the personnel and alignment of the OLB/ DE's next week.

Now I'm going to shift gears to the best news of the week: the ascendance of TeRah Edwards. The reports on Edwards through the Spring and Summer had been consistent in lauding the rising senior in getting in shape and stepping up his preparation. We've often heard such reports of players in the past, especially in situations where the Illini really need help at a certain position. Given the questionable state of the Illini defensive line coming into this season, longtime Illini fans could understandably hold back on their excitement before Thursday, but there's no need to do that anymore given how Edwards played in game 1.  Edwards was only credited with one tackle on the night, but he was a factor on every play up the middle and was a menace to EIU on plays other than just these two:

I wouldn't say Edwards is on an All-Conference type of pace, but it was nice to see that he's reached his potential and might just be putting himself in line to have a future on Sundays. He isn't a typical nose tackle because after slimming down he's just a bit small for that sort of load, but as a guy who can disrupt plays with leverage and hand usage, he's going to be a really valuable Illini in 2024.

Turning to the offense, I wanted to start this week's report with a classic old style power sweep. With the speed of modern defenses, you don't see teams run this sort of play regularly anymore, but they sure are beautiful to see when they're blocked correctly. Note who the heroes are on this play. They're not the linemen at all. Josh Kreutz gets blown up in the middle. Zy Crisler gives up a lot of ground at right guard, though I believe he's doing that in part due to the design of the play. Melvin Priestly does a nice job getting out in front of the play and that's no small feat, but he also drops his head before hitting his target and doesn't complete the block.

No, the heroes of this play are Henry Boyer, Tanner Arkin and Collin Dixon. Boyer has the most important assignment on this play as he has to wall off a defensive end to seal the edge. Arkin has to make a tough kickout block on the move. And I can't say enough about how well Collin Dixon blocks this play. He has to hit EIU outside linebacker Phoenix Porter on the move and he not only does so, but he also very effectively drives him backward. Barry Lunney designed this play with Collin Dixon in mind, and I think its safe to say it won't be the last time we see Dixon draw an assignment like that. With Tip Reiman gone, the Trench Report needs another official honorary lineman, and Dixon has the early lead. (Henry Boyer would be the close second).

And speaking of Boyer, this last highlight of the week showcases number 88. Many fans don't know this, but it is completely legal to block a pass defender within 1 yard of the line of scrimmage. It doesn't come up very often, but in goal line situations it can put the defense in an impossible situation. Illinois' second touchdown of the game last week was one of those times. This play is the classic fake run, rollout situation. Usually in those situations, the tight ends fake a block and then run a pass pattern. You don't often see a tight end commit to the block instead but that's exactly what happens here. Tanner Arkin blocks for a split second and then runs his pattern, but as soon as he does, he's wide open because Boyer is just walking the defensive end right down the line of scrimmage in an even more dominating way than the play above. Given that EIU has a free runner toward Altmyer, I'm fairly certain Pat Bryant blew his assignment on this play, but it doesn't matter because Henry Boyer has ensured that no one who defender who lined up at the line of scrimmage is anywhere near Tanner Arkin. Arkin gets the glory on this play, but he's the beneficiary of a unique play call and a dominating block by his fellow tight end.

I hope you've enjoyed the first Trench Report of the season. Next week's will be a lot more interesting, I'm sure, as Illinois figures to pull out all the stops against Kansas in a grudge match that will have a major impact on the rest of the season for the Illini. I hope to see as many of you as possible there!