Illinois Football: Former Illini shine at the East-West Shrine

The Illinois football team is done playing this season, but two of their former players suited up in the East-West Shrine Game on Saturday.

Reggie Corbin and Dele Harding have been two huge pieces for the Illini the last half-decade. They are among a group of players who stuck with this program through a lot of bumps in the road. These two have now had a chance to display some of their talents on the football field.

Corbin was one of the best running backs on the West team. He started the game with a big 23-yard run which helped his team to a touchdown after being down 14-0. Corbin only had five carries on the day but still managed 34 yards, which is a 6.8 yards per carry average. He also had one catch for five yards.

Harding performed well too. He doesn’t have numbers, or at least I can’t find the stats from the defensive side of the ball. But Harding was sensational for the entire game. He would meet the running back at the line of scrimmage and drive him backward. Harding would drop back in coverage and be a nightmare in the middle of the defense as well.

I would say both Corbin and Harding performed well on Saturday. They are two players I believe will see playing time in the NFL within the next couple of years. If they don’t go to the NFL, I am sure they will have a spot in the upstart XFL.

The Illini are getting more and more players in these postseason games. This helps the players gain notoriety, and it also helps the program become more visible to recruits across the country. Illinois has a good deal of players in the NFL. It is time to add a couple more in Corbin and Harding.