Illinois Football: 5 observations from the Illini loss to South Florida

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CHICAGO, IL – SEPTEMBER 15: South Florida Bulls quarterback Blake Barnett (11) runs with the football past Illinois Fighting Illini linebacker Jacob Hollins (47) in action during a game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the South Florida Bulls on September 15, 2018 at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

1. Defensive line is coming around

Illinois came out of the gates yesterday firing, and they about beat a pretty good South Florida program. One of the reasons why the Illini got off to such a good start and were able to stay in the game was because of their defensive line.

I know, there are still some flaws to the defensive line, though. They do have trouble getting pressure on the quarterback when it is just a four-man rush. But, they did a lot of the other things well on Saturday against the Bulls.

I was really impressed with the Illinois defensive line’s ability to keep contain on the South Florida running attack. They didn’t give in and bite on the run-pass option plays. They kept their assignments, and this helped hold the Bulls to a 4.8 yards per carry average the entire game.

The ability to see what the quarterback is doing was also great for the defensive line as well. Isaiah Gay, Jamal Woods and Bobby Roundtree all had solid games and were able to bat down passes from South Florida quarterback, Blake Barnett. These were huge bat downs.

This young defensive line we saw last year is finally starting to mold into a solid bunch. There is still room for improvement, but they are coming around.

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