Bring your rain gear if you're headed to Memorial Stadium for tonight's Illinois-Western Illinois game. It's nice and dry in the press box and no heavy rain is in the forecast, but things are already wet and will only get wetter as a persistent light rain sticks around all night.
The rain might actually play into Illinois' favor. The Illini offense was already trending run-heavy with new offensive coordinator Rod Smith running the show. Avoiding the unknowns in the passing game throwing a slick ball and relying on a stable of running backs — Ra'Von Bonner, Dre Brown, Reggie Corbin and Mike Epstein are all listed as a potential starter — along with AJ Bush Jr.