At 262.8 yards per game, Illinois has the eighth-ranked rushing attack in the country. That’s just a couple spots below Wisconsin’s vaunted running attack and a step above Oklahoma’s ridiculous offensive juggernaut. It took a little while, but Illinois and Rod Smith have created an identity.
And besides AJ Bush’s long strides or Reggie Corbin’s short area quickness or Mike Epstein’s vision, the offensive overhaul has started with the physicality and improvement on the sophomore-laden line.
Verdarian Lowe (So.), Kendrick Green (Rs.-Fr.), Doug Kramer (Rs.