The Illinois football offense needs to move the ball better against an experienced South Florida defense on Friday night.
Here is the Bulls defensive depth chart.
DE: Greg Reaves
Greg Reaves played in eight games last season after walking-on to the South Florida team. He earned a scholarship this year and is the starting defensive end. Through two games, Reaves has a total of 7 tackles, 2.5 of which were for a loss, and 1 sack. He is a solid player for this Bulls team.
DT: Deadrin Senat
One of the most experienced players on the defensive side of the ball is Deadrin Senat. He started 24 games in his first three seasons with South Florida and is the starting defensive tackle again. Through two games he has 4 tackles.
DT: Bruce Hector
Another experienced senior at the defensive tackle position is Bruce Hector. He started every game last season and is a big body up-front. Hector is fifth on the team in tackles with 9, 3 of which were for a loss, and he has 1 sack on the season as well.
DE: Mike Love
The South Florida defensive line has a lot of experience. Mike Love is their starting defensive end and he started nine games last season and played in all 12. He has a total of 6 tackles and 1 sack on the season.
MLB: Auggie Sanchez
Auggie Sanchez has played three seasons for the South Florida Bulls and has started every single game they have played in. You can’t get much better than Sanchez at middle linebacker. He currently leads the team in tackles with 16 as well.
WLB: Nico Sawtelle
Some youth starts to play a role in the South Florida linebacker core. Nico Sawtelle didn’t start a game before this season and that inexperience can hurt at times. But, it looks like he has picked up the speed of the game fairly quickly. He is tied with Sanchez with 16 tackles for the season and he also has 1 sack and 1 interception as well.
CB: Ronnie Hoggins
Ronnie Hoggins started seven games last season and played in a total of 11 for the Bulls. He has some experience and that will help against Chayce Crouch. Hoggins is third on the team in tackles with 14 on the season.
NICKEL: Deatrick Nichols
Since Deatrick Nichols’ freshman season, he has been a huge part of this South Florida team. He played in all 12 games year one and the last two seasons started every single game. Nichols is fourth on the team in tackles with 11 for the season.
SS: Devin Abraham
Devin Abraham is another experienced defensive back. He has started games in every season he has played and is the starter once again for the Bulls. He has 7 tackles and 2 interceptions on the season already.
FS: Jaymon Thomas
Last season, Jaymon Thomas started in four games and played in all 13 for South Florida. He also saw playing time his freshman season as well. He is now the starting free safety for the Bulls and has 6 tackles on the season.
Next: South Florida Bulls depth chart on offense
CB: Mazzi Wilkins
Mazzi Wilkins was mostly a special teams player last year. He is now the starting cornerback for South Florida. He only has 4 tackles on the season but he also has 2 interceptions as well.