Aidan Laughery News: Huge day in opener

Laughery accrued nine carries for 101 yards and two touchdowns and caught all two targets for 22 yards during Friday's 52-3 win versus Western Illinois.

Laughery had a massive opener during the Fighting Illini's demolition of FCS Western Illinois, averaging over 11 yards per attempt while crossing the century mark and finding the end zone twice. The 5-foot-11 running back highlighted his big play ability on his scoring runs, finding the end zone on scampers of 25 and 57 yards in the second and fourth quarters, respectively. Laughery took a big step forward for the Illini in 2024, running for 589 yards and four touchdowns on just 97 attempts and appears poised to have a breakout season in Champaign in 2025. A matchup against Duke awaits on Saturday.