Illinois was dealt a huge blow this week heading into Saturday’s contest against Purdue.

On Saturday morning, Illinois Football announced positive COVID-19 tests for starting quarterback Brandon Peters and redshirt freshman tight end Griffin Moore. That means both players will be sidelined for 21 days, per B1G protocols.

According to the announcement, “several” other Illini players will be sidelined for Saturday’s game against Purdue and for the Week 3 game vs Minnesota as a result of contact tracing:

Peters threw for just 87 yards on 8 of 19 passing in the season opener against Wisconsin, but he also rushed for 75 while leading the offense. His stat line alone does not tell the story as the Illini struggled heavily against the Badgers.

Peters is undoubtedly a strong leader for the offense and was a driving force behind the success of the team in 2019. Barring something unexpected, Isaiah Williams will probably get the start for Illinois, unless he is one of the “several” Illini sidelined due to contact tracing. That remains to be seen.