NCAA Football '14 Simulation: Illinois Fighting Illini vs Western Illinois Leathernecks

With the help of some passionate college football fans in the world of the internet, TCR will be simulating every Illinois football game this season using EA Sports' NCAA Football '14. We've downloaded updated rosters and the team depth charts will be changed on a week-by-week basis to reflect what we'll see on the field. We'll also check the weather forecast to mirror the expected conditions at kickoff.

Last season, our simulations predicted the correct outcome 70% of the time.

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Week 2: Illinois Fighting Illini (1-0) vs Western Illinois Leathernecks (1-0)

After a dominating defensive performance last week, the Illini head into their second week with momentum.  An FCS opponent stands in their way this week, as the Western Illinois Leathernecks are coming off a win against Eastern Illinois.  Since Western Illinois is not a team found in NCAA Football '14, we substituted them with the game's default FCS Midwest opponent.  Here's how both teams are rated:

Illinois Fighting Illini

• Overall: 79
• Offense: 83
• Defense: 78

• Overall: 65
• Offense: 63
• Defense: 65

Simulation:

As expected, this game was over in a hurry.  The Illini marched the ball down the field on their first possession and found the endzone.  From there, the defense held the Leathernecks to a 3 and out and the team never looked back.  Wes Lunt put up amazing numbers, throwing for 465 yards and 5 touchdowns with a 62% completion rate. His favorite target was Geronimo Allison, who caught 9 passes for 133 yards.  Another popular target was TE Tyler White who hauled in 5 passes, 2 of which were touchdowns. Add in a performance from Josh Ferguson that equated to 123 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns, and you're looking at another dominating performance.

Final Score: Illinois 61, Western Illinois (FCS Midwest) 20

Here is the scoring summary and team stats for the game: