By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – It would be fair and accurate to say that the Iowa football team has dominated Illinois over the last 19 games in the series.

Iowa has won the last eight games in the series, 13 of the last 14 games, and 16 of the last 19 meetings dating back to 1996.

However, Illinois appears to be on the rise under second-year head coach and former Iowa defensive lineman Bret Bielema.

The Fighting Illini are 4-1 overall and are coming off an impressive 34-10 victory at Wisconsin last Saturday in Madison in which they held Wisconsin’s vaunted rushing attack to just two yards.

Illinois has compiled a number of impressive statistics after five games, including ranking first nationally in scoring defense (8.4) and opponent passer rating (79.4) , second in red zone defense (50 percent), third in total defense (228.0) and third in rushing defense (70.2).

“You look at their team, they’re strong up front on both sides,” said Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz. “They have an outstanding running back, not just a good running back, very productive. The receivers are making plays. Quarterback is a newcomer who has done a very nice job for them. He’s playing really well right now.

“Defensively, they’re pretty much nationally ranked in every category, doing a good job there. A little bit of a unique preparation for sure.

“They have earned those stats. They’re playing well right now, playing with confidence, and are very aggressive. They’re a talented football team, very confident and we’re going on the road to play in a tough environment. It’s going to be a big challenge for us .”

Iowa and Illinois will meet for the 78th time on Saturday in Champaign, Illinois. Iowa defeated Illinois 33-23 last season at Kinnick Stadium.

Bielema missed the game last season after having tested positive for Covid-19.

He will be on the sideline for Saturday’s game, however, and that could give the Illinois players an emotional boost as they try to win for their head coach against his college alma mater.

Bielema used to be the head coach at Wisconsin and he appears to building Illinois in a similar fasion with a strong running game, and with a strong rush defense.

He was also an assistant coach under both Hayden Fry and Kirk Ferentz at Iowa.

“He had done a good job as a young coach,” Kirk Ferentz said. “It’s not surprising based on what I knew of him as a player, and I’m not surprised he’s done very well in his career since he’s left here. He was a good coach 20-some years ago, and obviously he’s done a great job each and everywhere he’s been. He’s done a really nice job.

“He cares about people. He’s a good football coach, works at it. It’s not like we’re rocket scientists.”

Here is a look at which team has the advantage at each position:

Quarterback: Illinois quarterback Tommy DeVito, who transferred from Syracuse, is one of 21 quarterbacks to have at least 1,000 passing yards, nine touchdown passes, and a completion percentage over 66 percent. In the Big Ten, only Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud has achieved those numbers.

DeVito is also the only quarterback in the Big Ten with a least nine touchdown passes and three rushing touchdowns.

DeVito has completed 107-of-153 passes for 1,121 yards and nine touchdowns. He also has thrown just two interceptions.

Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras, on the other hand, has only passed 770 yards and two touchdowns in five games. He also completing just 55.2 percent of his passes.

Advantage: Illinois

Running back: Illinois junior Chase Brown is the nation’s leading rusher with 733 yards in five games. That averages out to 146.6 yards per game.

To put that in perspective, Iowa’s top three running backs – Leshon Williams, Kaleb Johnson and Gavin Williams – combine to average 113.2 rushing yards per game.

Brown leads the nation in rushes of 10-plus yards (25), which is six more than any other rusher. He is tied for fourth in rushes of 20-plus yards with seven, and tied for second in 30-plus runs with four.

Brown is also second in the nation in yards after contact with 423 and fifth in forced missed tackles with 32, according to PFF.

Brown is the first player in program history to rush for at least 100 yards in the first five games of a season.

Illinois also has a talented backup in sophomore Reggie Love, who has rushed for 137 yards and is averaging 5.1 yards per carry.

Illinois has been without talented sophomore running back Josh McCray since he was injured in the season opener. The 6-1, 235-pound Alabama native rushed for 549 yards as a freshman last season.

Advantage: Illinois

Receiver: Sophomore Isaiah Williams, a former quarterback, leads Illinois with 35 catches and his 291 receiving yards ranks second on the team.

The 5-10, 180-pound St. Louis native is very elusive and dangerous after the catch.

Williams set an Illinois record for rushing yards in a game by quarterback with 195 against Rutgers in 2020.

He had career highs for catches (9) and receiving yards (112) in the 2022 Big Ten opener against Indiana.

Sophomore Pat Bryant, a 6-3, 195-pound native of Jacksonville, Florida, leads Illinois with 313 receiving yards, and with an impressive 17.4 yards-per-catch average.

Brian Hightower gives Illinois another receiving threat as the 6-3, 215-pound junior has17 catches for 179 yards.

Casey Washington is yet another option at receiver for Illinois as he has six catches for 68 yards this season.

Illinois top four receives have combined for 76 receptions, 851 receiving and five touchdowns, yards, while Iowa’s top four receivers – Arland Bruce, Nico Ragaini, Brody Brecht and Alec Wick – have combined for 25 catches, 323 yards receiving yards and one touchdown.

Bruce leads the Iowa receivers with 12 catches for 139 yards. He also has one of Iowa’s two touchdowns catches this season.

 Advantage: Illinois

Tight end: The top three tight ends for Illinois – Luke Ford, Tip Reiman and Michael Marchese – have combined for 17 catches, 171 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Marchese, who is the brother of former Iowa player Henry Marchese, leads the Illinois tight ends with 98 receiving yards and he also has both touchdown catches.

And while the receiving yards compiled by the Illinois tight ends aren’t very impressive, they all play a key role in the running game as blockers.

Iowa will counter with one of the best one-two punches at tight end in the Big Ten in senior Sam LaPorta and rising sophomore Luke Lachey.

LaPorta, who is from Illinois, leads Iowa with 21 catches and 178 receiving yards, while Lachey has nine receptions for 141 yards and one touchdown.

Lachey had four catches for a career-high 84 yards and his first touchdown reception against Michigan last Saturday.

LaPorta also led Iowa in catches and receiving yards last season with 53 catches and 670 receiving yards.

Advantage: Iowa

Offensive line: Chase Brown gets most of the attention, and deservedly so, but he couldn’t do it without his offensive line helping to pave the way.

Sixth-year senior right tackle Alex Palczewski has 57 career starts, which is the most in program history and ranks second in Big Ten history.

He was named honorable mention All-Big Ten by the coaches and by the media last season.

Junior left tackle Julian Pearl missed the Indiana game due to an injury, but he is now healthy and has started games dating back to the 2020 season, including five games at tackle and five games at guard last season.

Zy Crisler, a 6-6, 330-pound sophomore, started the first five games at right guard after having transferred from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.

Center Alex Pihlstrom, guard Jordyn Slaughter and tackle Isaiah Davis also having starting experience, with Pihlstrom having started all five games this season.

Iowa, meanwhile, appears to have settled on a starting lineup with left tackle Mason Richman, left guard Nick DeJong, center Logan Jones, right guard Beau Stephens and right tackle Connor Colby having started all five games this season.

Sophomore guard Tyler Elsbury also has made a significant contribution.

The Iowa offensive line has improved since the season opener, but the overall performance has been mediocre at best.

Advantage: Illinois

Defensive line: Illinois has six defensive linemen that have combined to play in 184 games for the Fighting Illini, led by 6-2, 325-pound senior Calvin Avery with 46 appearances.

Sophomore Keith Randolph enters the Iowa game as the team leader in total tackles (27), and tackles for loss (6.5), while tying for the lead with three sacks.

Sophomore Jer’zhan Newton has 26 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks this season. He recorded sacks in three consecutive games against Indiana, Virginia and Chattanooga.

The fact that Illinois leads the Big Ten in rushing defense, allowing just 70.2 yards per game, is due in large part to these guys up front.

Illinois is big, aggressive and athletic on the defensive line, and that’s one of the reason Illinois leads the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 8.4 points per game.

Iowa also has veteran defensive line in which the four starters – John Waggoner, Logan Lee, Noah Shannon and Joe Evans – have combined for 63 career starts, led by Noah Shannon with 20 starts.

Sophomore Lukas Van Ness isn’t technically a starter, but he has played a key role in 19 games dating back to the start of last season. He has 15 tackles, five tackles for loss and three sacks this season while playing both tackle and defensive end.

Lee, Shannon and Van Ness are also all Illinois natives.

This was a difficult decision that ultimately came down to statistics.

Advantage: Illinois

Linebacker: Iowa features one of the best linebacker duos in the Big Ten in seniors Jack Campbell and Seth Benson. Campbell has started 20 games, played in 43 games overall and leads the team with 50 tackles, while Benson has started 26 games, played in 42 games overall and is second on the team with 44 tackles.

Iowa suffered a blow with the loss of junior linebacker Jestin Jacobs for the rest of the season due to an injury, but junior Jay Higgins has played in 25 games and he had seven tackles against Michigan last Saturday.

Illinois has a nice blend of experience and youth at the linebacker where juniors Tarique Barnes and Calvin Hart Jr., and senior Isaac Darkangleo, have combined to play in 84 games, and where freshman outside linebacker Gabe Jacas is tied for the team lead with three sacks.

Jacas made his first career start in last Saturday’s 34-10 victory at Wisconsin. He is the first true freshman to start a game for Illinois this season.

Advantage: Iowa

Secondary: Illinois is ranked sixth in the nation with 13 takeaways and eighth nationally with eight interceptions, and a lot of the credit goes to these guys.

Senior Kendall Smith is tied for first in the Big Ten and ranked fifth nationally with three interceptions. He has played both wide receiver and defensive back for Illinois.

Fifth-year senior Sydney Brown, who is the twin brother of Chase Brown, has played in 44 games and has 278 career tackles as a safety. Sydney Brown led Illinois with 83 tackles, including a team-best 51 solo stops last season.

He has 18 tackles and one forced fumble this season.

Junior Devon Witherspoon is ranked second nationally in passes defended per game (1.8), while senior Jartavius Martin is ranked eighth nationally in passes defended per game (1.6).

The Illinois defensive backs are athletic and aggressive, making the defense strong on the back end.

Iowa also has a talented secondary in which both veteran players and first-year starters have performed well.

Fifth-year senior cornerback Riley Moss has made 31 starts and played in 46 games overall. The Ankeny native was named the Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year last season despite having missed three games because of a knee injury.

Senior strong safety Kaevon Merriweather has started 17 games and played in 38 games overall. He was named the Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week two weeks ago after intercepting a pass and returning a fumble 33 yards in the victory over Rutgers.

Sophomore do-everything defensive back Cooper DeJean has performed at an extremely high level in his first season as a starter. He leads Iowa with three interceptions and is third on the team with 31 tackles.

DeJean had a 45-yard pick-six against Rutgers in which he made an over-the-shoulder catch and then eluded several defenders on his way to the end zone.

Junior Quinn Schulte also has performed well at free safety where he is starting for the first time this season. The former walk-on from Cedar Rapids is ranked fourth on the team with 25 tackles and has five pass break-ups.

Advantage: Iowa  

Special teams: Illinois junior kicker Caleb Griffin has made 7-of-11 field-goal attempts, but he just 2-for-4 from 40 to 49 yards, and he has missed his only attempt from beyond 50 yards.

Iowa true freshman kicker Drew Stevens has made all four of his field-goal attempts this season, including one from 5 yards against Rutgers.

Stevens also handles kickoffs for Iowa and has 13 touchbacks on 19 attempts.

Iowa has a huge advantage at punter from a statistical standpoint as junior Tory Taylor leads the Big Ten with 47.4 average on 33 punts. Taylor has 15 punts that have traveled at least 50 yards and 17 that have been downed inside the 20-yard line.

Illinois punter, Hugh Robertson, on the other hand, is averaging just 35.3 yards on 22 attempts. Only one of his punts has traveled beyond 50 yards and just five have been downed inside the 20.

Both teams have adequate return specialists.

The return game played a signifcant role for Iowa last season as Charlie Jones returned a kick 100 yards for a touchdown with Iowa trailing 10-0 in the first half.

However, Jones has since transferred to Purdue.

Advantage: Iowa