Wins are wins.

Illinois, to start the 2018 college football season, has two of them. In Week 1, the Fighting Illini defeated Kent State 31-24 and then followed it up with a 34-14 win over Western Illinois in Week 2.

For Week 3, Illinois plays USF — the most talented opponent the Fighting Illini will have played to date — at home. The game is set for a 3:30 p.m. start and can be watched on BTN.

Despite beating Western Illinois in Week 2, Illinois WR Ricky Smalling missed the game. Ahead of the contest against USF, the sophomore pass-catcher from Chicago looks like he may be ready to go:

Smalling, in Week 1, caught 3 passes for 70 yards. In 2017 as a freshman, the 6-foot-1 athlete caught 31 passes for 510 yards and 2 TD. Hopefully we’ll be able to see more of Smalling on Saturday.