Scout the
Fighting Illini

Illinois is a run-first, ball-control team that leans heavily on the ground game, especially in favorable situations, and posts a solid PPA of 0.26 per play, which puts them above the strong threshold. They convert third downs at a 44.9% clip and play at a modest 62 plays per game, meaning they want to grind possessions and limit your opportunities.

Every scrimmage snap split by down and distance. Run rate and pass rate are heat-shaded on a Maryland-red scale so the strong tendencies jump off the page. The top row is all downs combined.

The same run/pass tendency, re-cut by where the ball sits, the score on the board, and which half it is. Counts are real charted snaps; thin splits are flagged honestly. Run % and pass % are heat-shaded on the same Maryland-red scale.

Drive for drive: what Illinois does with the ball, next to what their defense gives up. Points per drive are estimated from the drive result (touchdown counts as seven, field goal as three). Everything here is computed from real CFBD drive data.

How the man calling it for Illinois thinks on fourth down, drawn from every fourth-down snap his offense has taken this season. "Went" means they ran a play (rush or pass); "kicked" means a field goal or a punt. The split is then cut by field zone so you know where he gets aggressive.

• ★Attack them on third down through the air -- their 46.2% third-down conversion rate allowed means if Maryland can generate passing success on early downs and reach manageable third downs, the chains will keep moving.
• ★Maryland should make Illinois one-dimensional early by building a lead -- at a 7-plus point deficit Illinois shifts to 62.8% pass, which neutralizes their core identity and makes them easier to defend.
• ★Do not let Illinois control clock on first down -- their 56.9% first-down run tendency means Maryland's defensive front stopping the run early is the key to getting them into second and long situations where they are far less comfortable.
• ★Illinois limits explosives at 9.8% allowed, so Maryland's path to winning is sustained efficiency rather than chunk plays -- string together successful plays on each down and let their 45.6% success rate allowed work in your favor over a full game.

This is the charting layer. CFBD play-by-play does not carry coverage shells, blitz, or pressure, so the rates below stay blank until a game is broken down on film or pulled from Telemetry. The sample row shows the shape only, not real numbers.

This is the charting layer. Personnel groupings and formation families are not in CFBD play-by-play; they are tagged off the film or pulled from Telemetry, then drop straight into these tables. The sample row is illustrative shape only.

The numbers above come from charted play-by-play. The detail a coordinator wants next, special-teams maps, opponent media quotes, and player grades, comes off the film and the Telemetry feed. Each item below drops straight into this report once charted.

• Coverage and blitz tendencies by down and distance (Telemetry / PFF charting).
• Special-teams punt and kickoff location maps.
• Opponent media quotes from the weekly press conferences.
• Player grades, pressures, and coverage data from Telemetry.