I think the biggest worry for most Illinois football fans is on the defensive side of the ball.
The Illini offense should function well, but the defense is what tends to hurt us quite often. The past few years have been a struggle due to the style of defense the former coaching staff implemented and the quality of talent we put out on the field.
But a new era of Illinois football is on the horizon, so I am curious to see how they come out on Saturday against an interesting Nebraska offense.
Here is a preview of the Illinois football defense against Nebraska.
Strengths
Despite Illinois’ awful run defense from 2020, I believe the defensive line is the strength of this Illini defense.
In 2020, the Illini gave up 230.1 yards per game on the ground, which ranked No. 117 in the nation. Even though we had one of the worst rush defenses in the nation, I believe the players returning will make the Illinois defensive line one of the best in the Big Ten.
Anchoring the center of the 3-4 defense is going to be Roderick Perry. He finished as an All-Big Ten honorable mention last season. Perry is going to be tested by a good Nebraska running attack, but look for him to stop anything up the middle.
I also like what Illinois has on either side of Perry. I have Jamal Woods and Jer’Zhan Newton starting for the Illini. Woods has started 15 games over his career, so there is a ton of experience he brings to the table. Newton, on the other hand, is still technically a freshman. But he was sensational last season on the defensive line. Newton played in every game and started in two contests. Look for him to take another big leap forward this season.
Weaknesses
I have a couple of worries heading into the first game of the season. I want to address the linebackers first.
Illinois has tremendous talent at linebacker this season, but a handful of our linebackers were defensive ends last season. I have Owen Carney Jr. starting at outside linebacker. I wonder how much of an adjustment it will be when he starts dropping back into pass coverage. The same goes for Isaiah Gay. I have him in the other outside linebacker role.
Another linebacker worry is with Calvin Hart Jr. I know he is a good player, but Hart transferred into the Illinois program this offseason. It might take him a few games to get his feet underneath him. This could be a weakness in week zero.
I also believe Illinois’ secondary has some holes. Our starting defensive backs are pretty solid with Tony Adams leading the way. Adams and Devon Witherspoon will hold down the cornerback roles and then Sydney Brown will be a solid safety. But I am nervous about Prather Hudson. He transferred in and is pretty inexperienced. I have him starting at the other safety position.
I am also not in love with the depth in the secondary. This is something Bret Bielema will fix with time, but depth is a weakness entering the Nebraska game.
Confidence
Nebraska lost a lot of their running talent from last season. They still have Adrian Martinez at quarterback, though. He is a menace on the ground. He is probably going to burn Illinois on the edges a few times on Saturday.
Thankfully, Nebraska doesn’t have a great passing attack. This will help the Illinois defense tremendously. I think we can crash down on Martinez for a lot of the game. If we can hold Martinez to less than 100 yards rushing, then I think we can win this game with ease. We can’t let him run wild.
Overall, I am giving the Illinois defense a 4 out of 10 confidence. I love the defensive line, but there are so many new pieces – first-year players and same faces in new places – in the second and third levels.