The Illinois Fighting Illini will be regrouping after being thumped 45-14 by the Arizona State Sun Devils, and on Saturday they shouldn't have much trouble with the Charleston Southern Buccaneers. FCS teams have given FBS teams trouble in various games in recent memory, but the Buccaneers will enter the game with an 0-2 record after being outscored 80-to-24 by two fellow FCS schools.
Injured Ilini quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase is expected to play, but if all goes well, his time on the field will be short, sweet and punctuated by easy scoring drives. Scheelhaase's return should boost an offense that struggled against Arizona State and is still looking to pick up a new offense.
The game will also serve as a staging ground for a bounce-back game by Illinois defense, which entered the season as seemingly one of the best in the Big Ten but was torched by the Sun Devils. With the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and Penn State Nittany Lions following Charleston Southern on the schedule, Saturday could be the be the start of a momentum-building streak for Illinois.
Game time, TV channel: 11 a.m. CT, Big Ten Network
Point spread: No line
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