MADISON – Illinois coach Lovie Smith decided he was going to succeed or fail this season with the players recruited by his staff.

So when quarterback Cam Thomas played for the first time this season at Minnesota last week, he became the Illini’s 21st freshman to play in 2017

That is the highest total in the nation.

Fourteen of those players have started at least one game.

That is the highest total in the nation.

Only nine of the 100 players listed on the Illinois roster are seniors. Just 9%.

The results have been predictable.

Illinois is 0-4 in the Big Ten and 2-5 overall as it prepares to host No. 5 Wisconsin (7-0, 4-0) at 11 a.m. Saturday.

“I think every game the young guys have played has been a learning experience for them,” Smith said after Illinois’ 24-17 loss to Minnesota. “It’s Game 7 now, which is a bad thing.

“But all the young players are playing, and when there’s a new situation popping up each week, it has to help in the long run.

“But right now, we put you on the football field, we feel that’s our best option to win. We need better play at all positions.”

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Give Smith credit for building for the future but he is paying a price in the present.

The Illini were 2-0 after victories over Ball State and Western Kentucky, but they lost their next four games by double figures and an average of 21.5 points. They scored late against Minnesota to avoid a fifth consecutive double-digit loss.

“A loss is a loss,” Smith said. “It’s hard, especially right away, to think about good things that you did. I thought guys fought hard throughout.”

The Reader’s Digest version of the 2017 Illini:

They have struggled to run the ball, their quarterback play has been so uneven that Smith decided the time had come to evaluate Thomas, and they might need 11 players near the line of scrimmage to stop opponents from running the ball effectively.

Illinois forced three turnovers in the loss to Minnesota but allowed 292 rushing yards on 55 attempts, an average of 5.3 yards per carry.

“You're going to have yards," Smith said. "We have to keep the yard per carry down as much as anything.”

That performance came one week after Rutgers rushed 47 times for 274 yards in a 35-24 victory.

“We never really were in it,” Smith said of the loss to Rutgers. “You talk about defense vs. their offense, you can’t let a team run the ball like that.

“If you let a team run the ball like that on you, most of the time it will say loss at the end.”

UW, coincidentally, enters the game No. 1 in the Big Ten in rushing at 256.9 yards per game. Freshman tailback Jonathan Taylor leads the way with 158.9 per game, the No. 1 mark in the Big Ten.

“Taylor is one of the best in the country,” Smith said. “He is playing outstanding ball. It starts up front with Wisconsin's offensive line. They're big, athletic, knee-benders and play hard. It’ll be a big challenge for our guys as one of the best offensive lines we’ve played so far. ...

“Whenever you have an opportunity to play a top-five team like this you have to be excited about that. We need to play our best game this week.”

But will the Illini's best this season be good enough to upset UW? Likely not.