Coffee and the Cavaliers: Illinois visits Scott Stadium for 11 a.m. kickoff

Illinois at Virginia, 11 a.m. ACC Network

Brunch and football? UVa plays its first Power Five team of the season this morning when it hosts Illinois out of the Big Ten at the quirky time of 11 a.m. I'm not sure if the ACC has done this before, but the ACC Network is getting four games on the channel today, so that's why the Cavaliers (1-0) need to be ready to go before Lee Corso even puts on any headgear on "College GameDay." TV runs things these days -- that's just how it is. Interestingly enough, the Wahoos have won at least two games that started at 11 a.m., though they were quite a while ago: the 2002 and '03 bowl victories in Charlotte over West Virginia and Pittsburgh, respectively. Let's take a closer look at this morning's matchup (that is such a weird thing to say):

Illinois' record: 1-1

Win: at Nebraska in "Week 0" Loss: vs. Texas-San Antonio last week

Coach: Bret Bielema (first year; 98-59 career)

Series record: Illinois leads, 2-0

Last meeting: Dec. 30, 1999, in the MicronPC.com Bowl; Illinois won, 63-21

Line: Virginia by 10.5
Over/under: 55.5

Illinois offense: Michigan transfer Brandon Peters started the opener but hurt his left, non-throwing shoulder in the first quarter. Rutgers transfer Artur Sitkowski took over and had a strong game, completing 12 of 15 passes with two TDs in the victory over the Cornhuskers. He struggled a bit more vs. UTSA, though he was able to avoid throwing an interception: 22 of 42, 266 yards, three TDs. Bielema has said that Peters may be available against UVa, but Sitkowski will start. Illinois does a lot of its damage on the ground. Its run game ranked third in the Big Ten in 2020. Mike Epstein has 107 yards (4.3 ypc) and one score, and Reggie Love III has 84 yards (3.7 ypc). Chase Brown, who was third-team all-Big Ten last season, only got five carries against Nebraska and aggravated an injury. He did not play against UTSA, so his availability is unclear for today. QB-turned-WR Isaiah Williams has 14 catches and a TD in the two games. TE Daniel Barker has five receptions and two scores.

Illinois defense: The Illini gave up nearly 500 yards of offense to the Roadrunners last week, including 217 yards on the ground. Illinois' run defense ranked last in the Big Ten last season. Last weekend in the win over William and Mary, Virginia's multiplayer rushing attack put up just over 200 yards rushing, so maybe this is another game in which UVa can be strong on the ground. Message to offensive coordinator Robert Anae: Give a few more carries to our RBs. They looked good with limited touches. Illinois' defense was better against Nebraska but certainly not stout as it gave up almost 400 total yards and 160 on the ground. DB Tony Adams leads the unit with 18 tackles and two passes defended. DL Keith Randolph Jr. recorded one sack in each game -- his hit on Nebraska QB Adrian Martinez led to a scoop and score for Illini LB Calvin Hart Jr. Speaking of forced fumbles, the 'Hoos need to be on the lookout for LB Jake Hansen -- he forced two fumbles in 2020 and a nation-leading seven in 2019. The Illini do not have any interceptions yet. 

Illinois special teams: Kicker James McCourt and punter Jake Hayes are a couple of Illinois' best players. McCourt already has two field goals made of at least 50 yards.

Thoughts and pick: Bielema got his tenure at Illinois started on the right foot with a "Week 0" 30-22 win over the Cornhuskers. Last week's 37-30 home loss to UTSA stung, but the Roadrunners, out of Conference USA, are not terrible -- they went 7-4 in the regular season last year and made a bowl game. That said, the Illini are probably not too far from being 0-2 because Nebraska gave them 2 points on a safety on a punt return and 7 more points on the fumble TD. Bielema, who racked up plenty of wins as Wisconsin's coach from 2006-12, will probably be a solid coach for Illinois, but it could take time to turn the team around -- the program has not won seven games in a season since 2011. I am somewhat anxious to see if UVa's defense can look as strong as it did in the opener. Not expecting a shutout, of course, but Virginia needs to make sure Illinois doesn't get its run game going. It needs to get ahead and make Illinois pass the ball. Could Bielema be playing coy with Peters' availability? The prospect of the sixth-year veteran being able to enter the contest could give Illinois a sort of secret weapon, but it's not like he's been awesome in his two years with the Illini. He is probably a step up from Sitkowski, though. If they avoid turnovers, the 'Hoos should be able to put up points on this defense. That has been one of Illinois' main problems the past few seasons. Simply put, this is a game Virginia has to win if it is going to have an above-average season. This is Year 6 for Bronco, and this is Year 1 for Bret. UVa should be and is the better program at this point. Period. Time to go show that on the field.

Virginia 34, Illinois 20