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5 Illinois players to watch against Iowa football (2023 game)
Illini have new faces on offense, familiar threat on defensive line
IOWA CITY — The Illinois team coming to Kinnick Stadium on Saturday will have a bit of a different look from the one Iowa saw a year earlier at Memorial Stadium.
Illinois’ top two quarterbacks were playing for other schools when the Hawkeyes came to Champaign. This year’s leader in rushing attempts still was in high school at the time.
Chase Brown, the running back who racked up 146 yards against Iowa last year, now is in the NFL after the Cincinnati Bengals drafted him in the fifth round.
Here are five Illinois players to watch in this weekend against Iowa:
DL Jer’Zhan Newton
Jer’Zhan Newton has been a dominating presence on Illinois’ defensive line in recent years.
He finished last year with 14 tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hurries and 5.5 sacks on his way to being named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press and Walter Camp Football Foundation.
This year, Newton has a team-high 6.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks through 10 games. He is a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award, which recognizes the best defensive player in college football. He also is a semifinalist for the Lombardi Trophy, which goes to the best lineman on the offensive or defensive side in college football.
Newton is a projected first-round pick in next year’s NFL Draft. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. ranked Newton as the 23rd-best prospect in this year’s draft class, and Pro Football Focus ranks him as the ninth-best prospect.
DL Keith Randolph Jr.
Keith Randolph Jr. does not have the same pre-draft prognostications Newton has, but he also has been a key part of Illinois’ defensive success in recent years.
Randolph was an all-Big Ten third-team honoree last year after recording 13 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and one interception.
He has not been quite as productive this season with four tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and four quarterback hurries. He missed two games because of an injury.
Kiper ranks Randolph as the eighth-best defensive tackle in this year’s draft class. The Illini are the only team to have multiple defensive tackles ranked in Kiper’s top 10 for next year’s draft.
QB Luke Altmyer or QB John Paddock
Luke Altmyer has been Illinois’ starting quarterback this season until suffering an injury on Nov. 4 against Minnesota.
Before the injury, the Ole Miss transfer completed a Big Ten West-best 64.8 percent of his passes. He had 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
John Paddock, a transfer from Ball State, has filled in admirably for Altmyer as Illinois’ QB1.
Paddock went 24-of-36 for 507 yards with four touchdowns and one interception against Indiana. He was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week following the performance.
Iowa’s defense is undoubtedly expected to present a bigger challenge for Illinois’ passing game than Indiana, though.
WR Isaiah Williams
Isaiah Williams is among the many wide receivers on the Biletnikoff Award watch list, and it is not hard to see why.
Williams already has 68 receptions — more than any Iowa receiver has had in a season since 2016 — for 893 yards and five touchdowns.
His 89.3 receiving yards per game ranks 16th among FBS players. The only Big Ten receiver with more yardage is Ohio State star Marvin Harrison Jr.
Williams is coming off an especially impressive performance against Indiana, where he had nine catches for a career-high 200 yards. Two of his catches were for touchdowns, and another was for a gain of 67 yards.
Illinois is 3-0 this season when Williams has at least 120 yards. When he does not reach that mark, the Illini are 2-5.
LB Seth Coleman
Seth Coleman has been among Illinois’ more productive defensive players this season.
Coleman is second on the team with six tackles for loss and four sacks, trailing only Newton. Three of those sacks came against Maryland last month.
Coleman, who was an all-Big Ten honorable mention last year, has contributed regularly to Illinois’ defense since he was a redshirt freshman in 2020. He started in four games in 2020, three games in 2021 and 12 games in 2022.
The Melbourne, Fla., native was a three-star recruit, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. He also had offers from Baylor and Utah, among others.
Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com
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