‘It is always a tough task’: Dual-threat QBs an early challenge for I…

Heading into Illinois’ Week 1 matchup against Toledo, much of its gameplan was centered around quarterback Dequan Finn.

Finn, a potent athlete, presented an immediate challenge for an Illinois defense with a handful of new faces and a first-time coordinator calling the shots. He also represented something the Illini’s nation-leading scoring defense didn’t see in 2022: a dual-threat quarterback that could beat them with his arm and his legs.

“[Finn is] probably one of the more dynamic, explosive playmakers we’ve ever faced at the quarterback position,” head coach Bret Bielema said.

And he reflected that on Saturday night.

In the Rockets’ upset bid at Memorial Stadium, Finn passed for 230 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 75 yards and one touchdown, fooling Illini defenders on key downs and finding a lot of success on both designed read options and improvised scrambles from the pocket.

Despite Illinois basing their gameplan around containing him at the line of…