The Fighting Illini kick off their 2011 campaign this Saturday against the Arkansas State Red Wolves, and, for the first time in four seasons, will be playing the season-opener in Champaign. Saturday’s affair marks the third meeting between the two teams, with the Illini winning convincingly in both 1999 (41-3) and 2002 (59-7).

Illinois capped off a capricious 2010 season with an impressive victory over Baylor in the Texas Bowl, garnering significant optimism among Illini nation. But the off-season brought the early, albeit expected, departures of Mikel LeShoure, Martez Wilson, and Corey Liegut, leaving ample questions regarding the efficacy of both the running game and defensive unit.

SR RB Jason Ford will be the primary back and receive the bulk of the carries, but Zook and Petrino have both been hesitant to reveal workload percentages for the rest of the running backs. Troy Pollard, Donovann Young, and Josh Ferguson all stand to get touches on Saturday.

The defense returns six starters from the 2010 squad – DT Akeem Spence, DE Michael Buchanan, LB Ian Thomas, LB Trulon Henry, CB Justin Green, and CB Tavon Wilson. A healthy Terry Hawthorne will see significant time at corner and is listed as the top punt-returner on the depth chart.