How Illinois Football Can Take Down the USC Trojans for homecoming

After surrendering five sacks last week to Indiana, a struggling offensive line for Illinois Football now faces an even tougher test against a USC defense that leads the nation in sacks, with 16 through just four games into the young 2025 season. Led by edge rusher Braylan Shelby (team-high 3.5 sacks) and 6’6” linebacker Eric Gentry (3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles), the Trojans’ aggressive front 7 has consistently overwhelmed their competition, making any quarterback in their path pay thus far.

If Bart Miller’s unit can’t hold its ground in the trenches, this game could get out of hand quickly. For Illinois to keep Jayden Maiava and USC’s high-powered offense in check, the offensive line must establish the early run game and sustain long, scoring drives to give the battered Illini defense a much-needed breather.

That said, if Illinois gets off to another slow start up front, USC is almost surely going to get to Luke Altmyer often, and spoil Homecoming in Champaign.

Opportunity For Illinois Football to Recapture Momentum on Homecoming

Despite Illinois’ offensive line struggles, last week’s gut check in Bloomington might be the spark this unit needs.

This is the same group that returns all five starters from a 2024 team that went 10–3 and capped the season with a Citrus Bowl win, where they dominated a talented SEC front loaded with NFL prospects. Notably, that group also had to find its footing after a shaky start last year, which contributed to mid-season losses to Oregon and Minnesota. Once the line settled in and gained confidence, Illinois hit its stride and played its best football down the stretch—finishing out arguably its best season in over 2 decades.

However, the past is the past. The challenge is proving they can respond against a USC defense that’s as disruptive as any in the country.

If this veteran front can reestablish itself early this early into the 2025 campaign and begin to play with some confidence, Illinois—returning 19 starters, including Luke Altmyer—has the talent to chase heights unseen in the modern era by this Illinois Football program. I couldn’t think of a better confidence builder than showing out vs a top defensive front.

Can Bart Miller’s unit rise to the occasion on Homecoming and push the Illini closer to their true ceiling?

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