The Illinois Fighting Illini are taking on the Michigan Wolverines this Saturday afternoon in a ranked Big Ten matchup. The Fighting Illini have been exceptionally healthy so far in 2024 and remained mostly intact last week against Purdue. Josh McCray had to fill in late for Kaden Feagin at running back after the starter was a late scratch. The late change to the lineup almost came back to haunt Illinois, but McCray was a serviceable replacement. More precarious was the situation in the defensive backfield, where Xavier Scott was missing with an undisclosed injury and made the secondary vulnerable.
Once the ball was kicked off, there were sparse injuries for the Illinois Fighting Illini during the game. Seth Coleman and Tyler Strain had to leave the game, while Melvin Priestly went down temporarily before coming back in the game on the offensive line. In his weekly press conference, Illinois Fighting Illini Head Coach Bret Bielema cleared up some of these new developments and gave some updates on pre-existing injuries the program is dealing with.
Purdue Injury Fallout
The Illinois Fighting Illini have been remarkably healthy so far in 2024 on their path to becoming a ranked team. They had a relatively small number of preseason injuries and have remained at nearly full strength for the entire season. There were a couple of surprises ahead of last Saturday’s bout for the Cannon Trophy against the Purdue Boilermakers in the form of starting Running Back Kaden Feagin and premier Defensive Back Xavier Scott’s unavailability. The Fighting Illini’s top rusher was held out of action with a hip injury and Xavier Scott sat with an undisclosed injury.
During action on Saturday afternoon, the offense only suffered one insignificant injury. RT Melvin Priestly went down with a right leg injury, only to come back after one play and perform for the rest of the game. The defense sustained a pair of injuries that held players out for more than one play like Priestly. LB Seth Coleman left with an arm injury and DB Tyler Strain exited with an undisclosed injury after diving for a potential interception.
Both defensive players came back to play later in the game and Illinois Fighting Illini Head Coach Bret Bielema made no mention of any of the three players who went down, leading fans to assume that all three will be full-go for Saturday against Michigan. Priestly has been part of a six-man starting offensive line that is still looking for chemistry. Coleman is vital for the success of the linebacking core next to Dylan Rosiek, and Strain received much more playing time in the absence of Xavier Scott.
Previous Injury Updates
When asked about Kaden Feagin and Xavier Scott in terms of their availability for Saturday afternoon against Michigan, Illinois Fighting Illini Head Coach Bret Bielema had plenty to say. With Feagin, he talked about how the program had reached out to the head trainer of the New York Giants to work with Feagin about his hip injury and how his status heading into Saturday is up in the air. With Josh McCray filling in admirably last week and a healthy reserve behind him in the offensive backfield, Feagin might be a scratch this weekend and his health could be a long-term concern.
With Xavier Scott, Bielema made it seem like he suffered a pesky injury in practice and that kept him away from the field against Purdue. If he needed to play, he could’ve played was the vibe given by Bielema at his weekly press conference. Based on the expectations heading into the game against Purdue, he thought the defensive backfield could hold up against the Boilermakers, an assumption that came dangerously close to being wrong. Scott is expected to play against Michigan after a successful week of practice.
Looking Ahead To Michigan
With such a high-profile game on the schedule some players that might be question marks could lean on the side of aggressiveness and suit up for Saturday afternoon’s tilt. Xavier Scott was a scratch against Purdue last week, whereas if Michigan was on the docket last week he might’ve been out on defense at his number one corner position. The relatively healthy Illini program is still on a streak of great health and it continues to pay dividends.
This matchup against Michigan is framed to be one of the biggest games at Memorial Stadium in recent memory. Having a nearly full complement of players would go a long way in helping the Illinois Fighting Illini pull off the upset over the defending National Champion Wolverines. Their top cornerback appears to be ready to play and people are still holding out hope that their top running back could join him. It will be interesting to see how Coach Bielema plays it with his team and how the appearances or absences affect this Illinois team on Saturday afternoon.
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