Illinois Football Injury Updates: Aidan Laughery, Dylan Rosiek and Others

Access to a full roster of personnel may seem a bit more trivial than usual for No. 9 Illinois (2-0) as it heads toward Saturday's home matchup against Western Illinois (an 0-2 MAC opponent) at Champaign's Memorial Stadium. The Illini cold-cocked a very good Duke team in Week 3, while the Broncos fell to North Texas in overtime. These are teams operating on entirely different levels.

Then again, you can't blame the Illini for being unsettled by certain injuries and potential absences little more than a week out from a pivotal road matchup and their Big Ten opener at Indiana in Week 4. Chemistry, consistency and all the usual benefits that come with maintaining a steady depth chart are at risk of being chipped away by several key injuries. Here's where things stand for Illinois' health status as of Thursday night:

Aidan Laughery

Aidan Laughery has emerged as the starter in a balanced backfield, but he left the Dule game early because of an otherwise-unspecified lower-body injury. Although he practiced Thursday and, according to Bret Bielema, made "jumps in the right direction" earlier in the week, he will be a game-time decision for Western Michigan. Kaden Feagin would likely start if Laughery is out or compromised, and Ca'Lil Valentine would almost certainly find himself on the field more frequently.