Coaches coy about starting QBs as Wyoming visits Illinois

Wyoming (0-0) at Illinois (0-0), Saturday, 4 p.m. ET (BTN)

LINE: Illinois by 10.5, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

SERIES RECORD: First meeting.

LAST YEAR: Wyoming capped of a 7-6 season with a win in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, while Illinois went 5-7 in Bret Bielema’s debut season in Champaign.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Neither coach named a starting quarterback early to preserve every possible advantage in the tone-setting season-opener. The Illini could turn to Syracuse transfer Tommy DeVito, who has a promising arm and potential to boost the offense as Bielema looks to go bowling in his second year with Illinois. The run-happy Cowboys lost Sean Chambers and Levi Williams to the transfer portal and brought in Andrew Peasley from rival Utah State and Evan Svoboda from Snow College.

KEY MATCHUP

Illini defensive ends Keith Randolph and Johnny Newton could set the tone and rattle the Cowboys early if they can get into the backfield and speed up the quarterback. The visitors from the Mountain West Conference do have two hulking offensive tackles in 330-pound senior Eric Abojei and 315-pound Frank Crum, who have combined for 34 starts the last two seasons.

KEY INJURIES

Wyoming lost defensive end Sabastian Harsh earlier this week to an unspecified, season-ending injury. Backup running back Dawaiian McNeeley is also banged up and receiver Gunner Gentry will miss his second-straight season after suffering a knee injury in camp.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Wyoming’s Easton Gibbs trailed only NFL draft pick Chad Muma in tackles (89) and tackles for loss (seven) as a redshirt freshman in 2021. … Illinois LB Tarique Barnes has emerged as a playmaker in Ryan Walters’ defense after forcing two fumbles, making 80 tackles and six tackles for loss last year. … WR Isaiah Williams has gamebreaking potential as a pass option and with his legs. He led the Illini last fall with 47 receptions for 525 yards and four touchdowns.

FACTS & FIGURES

Illinois RB Chase Brown averaged 5.9 yards per carry on 170 attempts in 2021, becoming the 14th 1,000-yard rusher in school history. … Wyoming RB Titus Swen also averaged 5.9 yards per carry in 2021. … Both players were named to the Doak Walker Award watch list. … Wyoming enters as the third-youngest Bowl Subdivision team with 96 underclassmen on the roster, including 58 freshmen and redshirt freshmen. … Illinois returns six starters on each side of the ball. … Wyoming has reached a bowl in four of the last six years. The Cowboys ares seeking the program’s second win over a Big Ten foe (Wyoming won 21-12 at Wisconsin in 1986).

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