Kaden Feagin is out for today’s game at No. 16 Iowa, with the Illinois freshman running back sustaining an apparent shoulder injury in last Saturday’s 48-45 overtime win against Indiana.
Feagin, a former Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond standout, entered the week as the Illini’s leading rusher with 438 yards on 95 carries to go with two touchdowns. Feagin did not make the trip with Illinois to Iowa City.
Illinois wide receiver Pat Bryant is listed as questionable (ankle). Bryant got injured in last week’s Indiana game.
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — A win today would be consequential for all of reasons for Bret Bielema’s Illinois football program.
For one, it would be the Illini’s sixth of the season and clinch back-to-back bowl trips. You have to go back to the 2010 and 2011 seasons to find the last time Illinois accomplished that feat.
Perhaps even more significant about today’s 2:30 p.m. Big Ten West showdown against No. 16 Iowa (8-2, 5-2) at Kinnick Stadium is a win would keep the Illini (5-5, 3-4) in the running for the division title in the final season of the west division’s existence before the league expands to 18 schools next summer with the additions of Oregon, Southern California, UCLA and Washington.
Add in the fact Illinois hasn’t won in Iowa City this century (the Illini won 40-24 at Iowa in 1999), and there’s plenty to play for on Saturday.
The big question, of course, entering the Illinois-Iowa game is who will start at quarterback with sixth-year Ball State transfer John Paddock leading the Illini to consecutive comeback wins at Minnesota and at home last Saturday against Indiana in overtime.
Paddock was pressed into service late in Illinois’ 27-26 win against the Gophers on Nov. 4 in Minneapolis after Luke Altmyer was injured. Paddock engineered a game-winning drive with Isaiah Williams’ 46-yard touchdown reception the go-ahead score.
A week later, Paddock produced a Memorial Stadium-record 507 passing yards, with Paddock and Williams again connecting for the game-winning score — this time in a walk-off 48-45 overtime win against the Hoosiers.
What Bielema does at quarterback remains to be seen.
Follow along with Joe Vozzelli to see what plays out on Saturday from Kinnick Stadium.