Illinois Football: Run defense a key in Illini victory over Nebraska

I would argue the biggest bugaboo for the Illinois football team in 2020 was their horrific run defense.

During the 2020 campaign, the Illini averaged giving up 230.1 yards per game on the ground. This bad number ranked No. 117 out of the 127 teams that played DI football last season.

The Nebraska game in 2020 followed in line with the averages the Illini gave up last season as well. Despite winning the game, Illinois gave up 215 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground to the Cornhuskers. In 2021, though, things seemed to have changed.

What made the difference for the Illinois football run defense?

There was a different intensity to the Illinois defense to start the 2021 season. They were flying off the ball and making plays all over the field. By the end of the game, Nebraska only had 160 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground. That is a 55-yard difference game-by-game comparison. That is also 70.1 yards better than their season average from the year before.

I believe the defensive line is what made the biggest difference. I have said this numerous times already; if Illinois’ defensive line wasn’t getting pressure on Adrian Martinez, they were being held. That is how good of a rush the Illini had on Saturday.

There were really only a couple of big runs by Martinez throughout the game. The best running back for Nebraska was Gabe Ervin who had 33 yards on 12 carries.

Isaiah Gay was a monster coming off the end of the defensive line. The box score of one tackle does not do him justice. There were numerous times Gay would break through the end of the offensive line with a beautiful swim move and force Martinez to scramble. This enabled other Illinois defensive players to make plays.

The defensive line also clogged up any running lanes for the Nebraska running backs. They had zero room to run the entire game, which led to a dismal rushing performance.

I also have to point out the great intelligence the Illinois second and third levels possess. There would be times Martinez scrambled out and would try to run outside of the hash marks. When he attempted to do this, the Illini linebackers and defensive backs would be able to get around a block that was trying to be set by the wide receiver. There were quite a few times I noticed players like Jake Hansen being able to get off a block to make a tackle in open space.

This was a solid defensive performance by the Illini. We have not been good at stopping the run for the past few years, so having a solid run defense is always nice to see. I would venture to say, this type of run defense is here to stay.