Covering the Land of Lincoln

Q&A with Illinois beat writer Bob Asmussen as Wyoming prepares to face the Illini | Football

LARAMIE – The Cowboys will be traveling to Champaign, Illinois, in two weeks to open the 2022 season with a Week 0 game against a Big Ten opponent.

Bob Asmussen, who has been covering Illinois for the Champaign News-Gazette since 1989, is this week’s guest on the Pokescast.

Here are some excerpts, which have been edited for clarity, from the podcast about the Pokes’ opener against the Illini on Aug. 27 at Memorial Stadium (2 pm, Big Ten Network):

RYAN THORBURN: Former Chicago Bears and current Houston Texans coach Lovie Smith posted a 17-39 record during his five seasons leading the Illini. In his first season at Illinois, Bret Bielema went 5-7 with a 4-5 record in Big Ten play. How did the transition go last fall?

BOB ASMUSSEN: They would have liked to have gone to a bowl game. They were really close to getting that sixth win, they had a bunch of close losses, but I think 5-7, most people here would say that was pretty successful given where they came from. Lovie didn’t leave a whole lot of talent on hand. They had to basically redo the whole thing. It was more than a rebuild, it was a tear down, start over in almost every aspect of the game.

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RT: What are the expectations for the Illini in 2022?

BA: They always talk about winning the Big Ten West (Division), which would be a goal. I think their bottom-line goal should be getting to a bowl. That means one more win than last year. If you look at the schedule, it’s not totally favorable, but they don’t play the Buckeyes. That helps. They don’t play Penn State. That helps. They’ve got a pretty good home schedule. So it’s reasonable to think they could win another game over last year. I think five or six wins would be a good season. This is not a one- or two-year deal, this is a long process.

RT: Wyoming coach Craig Bohl and Bielema seem like kindred spirits. They both love running the ball and both teams struggled to pass the ball last season. Will the Illinois offense have more balance with new coordinator Barry Lunney?

BA: It has to, basically. You can run all you want but you have to be able to throw the ball. Last year there were a couple games they would have won if they were more effective passing the ball. I think they know that and I think they brought this guy in to help with that. They want to be balanced. The problem with that at Illinois right now is, A, they’ve got a new quarterback probably. B, the receiver corps is not talented or overly experienced beyond the first guy. Isaiah Williams is a great player. I think he’s going to be a star during his remaining time at Illinois. He’s going to be an 80-catch guy, but he can’t do it alone. They have to find some help for him. If they don’t do that, you can talk about running all you want but you have to be able to throw the ball. That will be a question for this team.

RT: Do you think Syracuse quarterback transfer Tommy DeVito will win the job over incumbent Art Sitkowski?

BA: It sounds like it. He looked really good in spring, what we saw of him in the spring. He had a really great spring game and threw for 300-plus yards. He was really on target and only missed a couple passes. He looks good. He had some good times at Syracuse and some bad times. I think the last couple years were frustrating for him because he wasn’t playing, but he’s got talent. He’s got a good, strong arm. He runs a little bit so he can be effective that way. He’s definitely the guy. Art Sitkowski is a great backup to have because he’s played, he’s been successful.

RT: Illinois opens Big Ten play at Indiana six days after hosting Wyoming. Are the Illini viewing the Pokes as a tune-up game or are they really taking them seriously?

BA: No, this is the most important game ever, OK. They cannot lose this game. They know that and they are pouring every bit of effort into this game. They’re not looking at Indiana, even though as you pointed out they play six days later. It’s a quick turnaround, but they’re worried about Wyoming only. I don’t think there’s any question they respect Wyoming because they can look at the film from last year or history of Craig Bohl, see what he has done over the years, see how good that team has been. There’s a lot of guys in the NFL from there, so there’s not any illusion that Illinois is going to just clock Wyoming just because they’re coming to town. I think they’re hopeful they can win but nobody is thinking here that this is a lock.

Follow UW beat writer Ryan Thorburn on Twitter @By_RyanThorburn

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