CHAMPAIGN — Rod Smith entered the 2018 season wanting to make sure the Illinois offense was at least good at one thing. The results might not be there in terms of wins and losses, but the Illini offensive coordinator can hang his hat on how the team's run game has improved from last season.
Illinois enters Saturday's game against Iowa with the No. 8 rushing offense in the country. The teams ranked ahead of the Illini include three (Georgia Tech, Army and Navy) that run the triple option, a fourth (Air Force) that runs a combined triple/spread option and then Memphis, UCF and Wisconsin.