Fresh off a Week 1 tune-up, Illinois will descend on Durham, North Carolina, on Saturday (11 a.m. CT, ESPN) in search of a statement win – and a springboard into the AP poll’s top 10. To gauge how the game might unfold, we turned to EA Sports’ “College Football 26” video game, this time with updated depth charts and rosters that take into account Week 1 results.
Our full-season simulation was bullish on the Illini a week ago, and it even more or less nailed their opener against Western Illinois, so we queued up a fresh game-only run to find out if the sim still favors the boys from Champaign. In the original sim, Illinois cruised. This time, the details came out different. Here’s how it played out.
The next opportunity awaits. pic.twitter.com/7KmWMKr1yM
— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) September 1, 2025
Illinois received the opening kick and immediately leaned on running back Aidan Laughery, who ripped off chunk gains before the offense stalled at the Duke 30. Kicker David Olano knocked through the first of what would be his four field goals on the day. Duke answered with a steady dose of running back Jaquez Moore and quick-hitters to Sahmir Hagans, but outside linebacker Gabe Jacas erased the momentum with a third-down sack, leaving the Blue Devils to settle for a field goal.
On the next Illini drive, quarterback Luke Altmyer found a rhythm with receiver Justin Bowick downfield, yet the Blue Devils bowed up in the red zone, bringing on Olano, who made it 6-3. The Duke offense moved the ball close to midfield and was threatening before a huge sack from defensive end Tomiwa Durojaiye ended the drive.
End of first quarter: Illinois 6, Duke 3
Aug 29, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer (9) takes a snap during the first half against the Western Illinois Leathernecks at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
A 50-yard burst from Laughery jump-started the quarter, flipping the field and setting up another Altmyer-to-Bowick strike – this time for a touchdown. Duke answered with a composed drive, but Illinois stiffened in the red zone and the Blue Devils again settled for a field goal. The defenses traded stops until the two-minute warning, when Darian Mensah showed why he’s Duke’s headliner, carving up Illinois’ secondary and hustling the Blue Devils into range. They ran out of time, though, and came away with just three as the half expired.
End of second quarter: Illinois 13, Duke 9
Out of the break, the teams traded punts before Illinois grabbed the wheel. Altmyer varied tempo and formation, then kept the drive alive with a fourth-down dart to tight end Tanner Arkin. Two snaps later, running back Kaden Feagin bulldozed in from the 1 to make it 20-9. From there, the Illini defense suffocated Duke: tight coverage erased windows, the rush squeezed the pocket, and Mensah was left patting the ball or sailing throwaways as possessions fizzled.
End of third quarter: Illinois 20, Duke 9
Sep 28, 2024; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini kicker David Olano (24) lines up a field goal kick during the second quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images / Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images
Altmyer opened the fourth with a deep strike to receiver Hank Beatty, flipping the field and setting up another Olano field goal. Duke crossed midfield on multiple possessions but stalled each time, and Illinois’ offensive line imposed its will down the stretch, draining nearly eight minutes from the clock with a bruising, methodical march before Olano tacked on three more. A final fourth-down stand in Illini territory shut the door, and the visitors took a knee to seal an important road win.
Final score: Illinois 26, Duke 9
If CFB 26 proves prophetic, a decisive 26-9 win wouldn’t just add a “W” for Illinois – it would likely thrust the Illini into the national spotlight and send the buzz in Champaign into overdrive. Road dominance against a quality opponent is the kind of resume entry that pollsters notice, and the way the sim mapped it all out – methodical offense, stifling defense and mistake-free special teams – looked like the blueprint for a top-10 squad.
If the Illini defense is able to hold a Mensah-led offense to single-digit scoring, it will be validation for defensive coordinator Aaron Henry’s unit and a clear statement about the team’s ceiling. If Illinois can reproduce in Durham what happened on the old XBox, September in Champaign will suddenly feel a whole lot bigger than usual.