Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer adds balance to its offense with quick throws and deep shots, complementing their run-heavy attack. So far this season he has 405 passing yards, four touchdowns and has thrown no interceptions.

"Illinois is a really good football team,” head coach Jim McElwain said. “They’re going to come in and play physical on both sides of the ball. When you watch the special teams, man, those guys are hungry and you can see it."

Special teams also present a significant challenge. Against Central Connecticut, CMU dominated with special teams led by senior defensive back Donte Kent with 132 yards.

Against FIU, Kent only had one yard as special teams were less prominent in the game. Illinois seems to capitalize with special teams.

Keys to victory

CMU’s biggest issue in their previous game was self-inflicted errors, particularly turnovers and penalties.

"We gave the opponent 39 points,” McElwain said. “I don’t care who you’re playing, you aren’t going to win giving somebody 39 points."

Many of the mistakes were mostly "self-inflicted" with five interceptions thrown by transfer quarterback Joe Labas. Along with those, penalties also set them.

"It’s really about us and how we handle the small details," Kent said. "We’ve got to have short-term memory. Whatever happened, happened already. We’ve got to come out this week and work hard."

CMU must reduce penalties, avoid turnovers, and play smart, disciplined football to stay competitive with Illinois. The Fighting Illini will capitalize on small mistakes and turn them into easy points.

Illinois has already shown they can make game-changing plays on special teams, which will be a crucial factor for CMU.

"They’ve gotten big plays on punt returns,” McElwain said. “We need to be sound in our coverage and not give them any easy yards."

CMU’s special teams play will need to be sharp, from limiting return opportunities to making sure they maintain good field position. Any lapses could give Illinois the momentum they need to pull away.

To the Chippewas, anything can happen heading into this road game. After watching Northern Illinois defeat Notre Dame, it's become clear that the underdog could snag the game.

Senior running back Marion Lukes is eager to redeem himself after a tough start to the season with only 37 rushing yards against FIU.

"We just got to do our jobs, plain and simple,” Lukes said. “I didn’t perform to the best of my abilities, but I’ll be back at 100%, and when I get there, everybody will know."

Kent’s mindset is also focused on improvement and leadership.

"At the moment, I’m telling everybody to stay calm and stay together. We work too hard to separate," Kent said.

If the Chippewas can execute their game plan, avoid turnovers, and win key battles at the line of scrimmage, they’ll have a chance to come back to Mount Pleasant with a big win.

Central Michigan (1-1) vs. Illinois (2-0)

Time: Noon ET

Date: Saturday, Sept. 14

Stadium: Memorial Stadium

Location: Champaign, Illinois

TV: Peacock