Illinois Rebuilds With Freshmen

The undefeated Wisconsin football team will play an Illinois squad on Saturday that’s giving a lot of experience to their freshmen. The Illini are 0-4 in the Big Ten and 2-5 overall, with only nine seniors on the 100-player roster. Coach Lovie Smith has played 21 freshmen in Illinois’ first seven games, and 14 have started at least once. That group includes quarterback Cam Thomas, who made his college debut last week in a loss at Minnesota. Illinois won its first two games against Ball State and Western Kentucky but lost their next four by an average of 21 and a half points — and the Illini has given up a league worst 211 rushing yards a game.