Inside a fan-less Camp Randall Stadium on Friday night, the Wisconsin Badgers kick off their abbreviated and modified 2020 campaign against Lovie Smith and Illinois.

Here are significant stats and key Illinois standouts to know, along with in-depth insight from our Q&A with Orange and Blue News's Doug Buschon.

*Record: 6-7 overall, 4-5 Big Ten

*Points per game: 26.7

*Opponents points per game: 26.2

*Rushing yards per game: 144.2

*Opponents rushing yards per game: 195.5

*Passing yards per game: 185.3

*Opponents' passing yards per game: 212.9

*Third-down conversions: 35.4%

*Opponents' third-down conversions: 37.2%

*Total turnovers created: 28 (12 interceptions, 16 fumbles recovered)

*Total turnovers given up: 18 (nine interceptions, nine fumbles lost)

*Sacks: 25

*Sacks allowed: 39

*Quarterback Brandon Peters: 55.3 completion percentage, 1,884 yards, 18 touchdowns, eight interceptions

*Running back Mike Epstein: Eight carries, 45 yards

*Wide receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe: 33 catches, 634 yards, nine touchdowns

*Wide receiver Donny Navarro: 27 catches, 345 yards, two touchdowns

*Tight end Luke Ford: N/A (Transfer from Georgia)

*Returning four starters on offensive line that include Alex Palczewski, Vederian Lowe, Kendrick Green and Doug Kramer

*Defensive tackle Roderick Perry: (Transfer from South Carolina State) 34 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks

*Linebacker Jake Hansen: 72 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, seven forced fumbles

*Cornerback Nate Hobbs: 67 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 11 passes defended, one interception

*Safety Tony Adams: 39 tackles, three tackles for loss, three passes defended, two interceptions

*Safety Sydney Brown: 88 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions

DB: Lovie Smith and the Illini feel like they turned a corner last season, putting together a four-game conference winning streak and an appearance in the Redbox Bowl against Cal. Things are complicated by the shortened schedule, but the expectations should be to reach another bowl game. Illinois returns 14 starters and several others who played a significant number of snaps, and they added some intriguing newcomers.

The shocker against then No. 6 Wisconsin was a huge turning point for Illinois. They followed it up with wins over Purdue, Rutgers, and Michigan State, coming back from 25-point deficit to beat the Spartans in East Lansing to gain bowl eligibility. They’ll need some of the same type of performances to go bowling again this year. Illinois has the talent to finish above .500, but the conference-only schedule is certainly a challenge.

DB: Illinois lost its top three rushers from last season’s squad, including Reggie Corbin and Dre Brown, who combined to for 1,337 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground. Brown had a key first down for Illinois in the win over Wisconsin that set up the game-winning field goal by James McCourt. Junior running Ra’Von Bonner elected to opt out of the 2020 season.

Ford is pretty special. He was the top tight end in the nation coming out of high school in the class of 2019. He sat out last year after transferring from Georgia. Now eligible, he’s been as advertised in camp and should be a major target for Illinois in the passing game. Another transfer tight end, Daniel Imatorbhebhe from USC, is also an intriguing athlete with length and speed.

The most impactful newcomers on the other side of the ball will be nose tackle Roderick Perry, a grad transfer from South Carolina State. He was a preseason FCS All-American before entering the portal after posting 34 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks a year ago. Perry is the highest rated draft-eligible defensive tackle in the Big Ten by Phil Steele.

DB: Peters is focused on being more efficient. He was solid in his first year after transferring in from Michigan, but he completed just 55.3 percent of his passes and ranked No. 9 in the Big Ten with a 128.6 pass efficiency rating. The wide receiver corps went through a rash of injuries. Getting everyone back healthy should result in better numbers for Peters, and he’s more comfortable in the offense with a season under his belt.

The Illini need to take some pressure off of Peters with the running game. Junior Mike Epstein steps in as the starting running back. He’s solid when healthy, but he’s missed games each year of his career at Illinois with lower body injuries. Western Michigan transfer Chase Brown is an all-purpose type who will also get his share of carries, and the speedy Jakari Norwood had a good training camp. The wild card could be true freshman Reggie Love, a former four-star recruit from St. Louis.

Peters’ top target will once again be Josh Imatorbhebhe. He led Illinois in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns a year ago despite missing the final three games with an injury. His nine receiving touchdowns ranked fifth in the Big Ten. Former walk-on Donny Navarro had a big 48-yard touchdown reception against Wisconsin last year. Miami (FL) transfer Brian Hightower is a former Rivals250 recruit. Keep an eye out for slot receiver Kyron Cumby. He’s small at just 5-foot-8, but he’s a shifty all-purpose type who can make tacklers miss in the open field.

The secondary is experienced. Defensive backs coach Keynodo Hudson has multi-year starters back in cornerback Nate Hobbs and safeties Tony Adams and Sydney Brown, and they add former top recruit Marquez Beason. Beason missed the season last year with a torn ACL suffered in training camp. He’s reportedly healthy now, and he’s a big-time athlete and potential return man on special teams. Miami (FL) transfer Derrick Smith and sophomore Devin Weatherspoon will also get snaps.

The front four of the defense is a concern. There’s little production coming back from a group that finished in the bottom third of the Big Ten in sacks. Senior ends Isaiah Gay and Owen Carney will likely start, but they’ll be pushed by redshirt freshmen Seth Coleman and Keith Randolph as Smith looks for a more consistent pass rush. Perry is expected to be a good player on the inside, but after that it’s a crap shoot. Former four-star defensive tackle Calvin Avery hasn’t yet lived up to his high school billing.

Illinois could create some mismatches in space in the passing game if they can give Peters enough time in the pocket to pick out targets. Josh Imatorbhebhe is a long athlete with big-play capability. Ford is a tough matchup for linebackers with his combination of size, strength, and athleticism. They could cause some problems for the Wisconsin secondary.

Stopping the run has been a major issue for the Illini during Smith’s tenure at the school. They ranked No. 13 in the Big Ten in rushing defense in 2019, and dead last in the conference the previous season. They’ve made some strides, but still yielded near 200 rushing yards per game. That bodes well for Wisconsin, a formidable running team even without Jonathan Taylor.

Illinois feels like the upset in Champaign last year was no fluke, and they've added some talented players to the roster. Still, Wisconsin is more physical, and they should once again have one of the best defenses in the Big Ten, despite some key losses to graduation. The Illini will hang tough and it will be much closer than the Vegas oddsmakers predict, but I'll take the home team. Wisconsin 27 Illinois 20.