Last season, the leaderboard for any given defensive statistical metric had a pretty good chance of reading “Illinois” at the top. The Fighting Illini allowed just 12.8 points per game — the fewest in the nation — and led the country in categories like interceptions (24), overall takeaways (32) and defensive red zone touchdown percentage (35.5%).

And while offseason attrition eroded some of their defensive talent — three defensive backs went in the first three rounds of the NFL draft, and coordinator Ryan Walters took the head coaching job at Purdue — Illinois brings back Jer’Zhan “Johnny” Newton and Keith Randolph Jr., the so-called “Law Firm” of All-American-caliber defensive tackles. Not to mention strong outside linebackers like last year’s freshman standout Gabe Jacas and all-conference honorable mention Seth Coleman.

“Those guys are dang good, man,” Kansas offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki said Tuesday, ahead of KU’s Friday night matchup with Illinois. “It’s going to be an awesome game. What an unbelievable challenge for our front, and for our football program to see how we match up.”

photo by: AP Photo/Kayla Wolf

Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz (5) is sacked by Illinois defensive lineman Keith Randolph Jr. (88) and teammate Jer’Zhan Newton (4) during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Madison, Wis.

The good news for the Kansas offensive line, facing the five-man front, is that they can only be opposite the stars so much.

“To have Johnny and Keith, I know we all want them on the field 24/7,” Illinois defensive coordinator Aaron Henry said in his own press conference, “but fellas, them dudes are 290, 285, banging in the trenches. That ain’t happening, right. That ain’t happening nowhere across the country.”

Generally, Illinois’ defensive standouts were on the field even less last Saturday as Toledo’s mobile quarterback Dequan Finn — “Since I’ve been here, that’s the most athletic quarterback that we’ve ever seen, like, by far,” Henry said — wore them down with his 20 carries for 75 yards, in what ended up a much narrower win for the Illini (30-28 on a game-winning field goal) than many anticipated.

“We had some guys that upfront was trying to get to him and they just couldn’t, and he extended plays, and those guys had to chase him,” Henry said, “so, right, like we obviously had to substitute some guys upfront because guys were gassed. It was hot out there, guys were cramping, it was Game 1.”

There will be little relief for the Illini as they face either Jason Bean (“The kid can fly,” Henry said) or Jalon Daniels (“the starter, 6, is ridiculous, he has a cannon, he throws the ball extremely well”), and as Henry added, it will be even hotter in Kansas.

Daniels missed last week’s opener with back tightness that has plagued him for about a month, and his status was cast into further doubt when KU released a depth chart Monday that placed an “or” between him and Bean for the starting spot while keeping all other positions identical. However, head coach Lance Leipold said he took more reps Monday than on any other day since his initial injury, and Kotelnicki confirmed that he continued to take significant snaps Tuesday.

photo by: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels, right, hands off the ball to running back Daniel Hishaw Jr. (20) before an NCAA college football game against Missouri State Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, in Lawrence, Kan.

If either quarterback is to thrive (or any of KU’s running backs, for that matter), it will require a command performance by the offensive line, which kept Bean clean against Missouri State but will face a much more difficult challenge this week. One starter, guard Ar’maj Reed-Adams, missed Week 1 due to injury and was replaced by Kobe Baynes but is expected to be back “barring anything” this week, Leipold said.

The Jayhawks owe a lot of their success to big plays, bells and whistles, but this time the emphasis on physicality that permeated KU’s offseason will be put to the test. And Leipold noted that it will be needed throughout the remainder of the season.

“We’re going to sit in here for how many weeks in a row and we’re going to talk about the physicality of every team, and it starts this week,” he said.

Left tackle Dominick Puni said Tuesday that practices have been similarly physical to last week, but more “straight up,” because Illinois is less focused on movement than Missouri State. “They’ll just come hit you,” Puni said, and so the scout team needs to “come hit us” in practice.

“We told the scouts today, like, ‘Go as hard as you can, we’re not going to take anything personal,'” he said. “‘Whatever happens, happens.'” And I think that’s the best way to prepare for it.”

For Puni, that has meant intense reps against teammates like Dylan Brooks, Davion Westmoreland and Jaydon Brittingham. Sometimes starters even come down to play on the scout team.

“You got to go good against good, because you’re preparing to play one of the best teams,” he said.

The Jayhawks will hope for the added intensity to extend to other position groups as they look to wear down a tough Big Ten Conference foe.

“I like a team that’s going to come off and try to smack me in the mouth, because that’s what I want to do to them,” defensive end Hayden Hatcher said.

photo by: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

Missouri State quarterback Jacob Clark (12) is upended by Kansas defensive end Hayden Hatcher (37) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, in Lawrence, Kan.