Illinois Football: 3 areas of success in the loss to Purdue

2. All Areas of Defense

Through the first three games of the 2021 campaign, the Illinois defense was atrocious. They were giving up points and yards to every team they played.

Nebraska had the lowest output of points against the Illini at 22 points in the opening game. Illinois averaged giving up 33.7 points per game through the first quarter of the season. That is a really bad number.

But things have started to turn around for the once horrific defense. The Illini only surrendered 20 points to Maryland in what should have been a victory. They then traveled to West Lafayette and only gave up 13 points to a Purdue offense that throws the ball and moves it well.

So, over the past two games, Illinois’ defense has averaged giving up just 16.5 points per game. But what changed for this program?

First off, the defensive line has been playing amazingly well. They are getting after the quarterback and stopping the run. They are the heartbeat of this defense. I also believe the defensive ends who switched to linebacker are starting to get used to their new positions. It is a big change to move from one area of the field to another.

I think the biggest area that I noticed has changed is in adjustments. Illinois was getting torched the first few games in the middle of the field. Teams were having a tight end run up the seam and catching wide-open passes. The Illini defense has stopped the easy catches up the middle. This was noticeable specifically in the Purdue game.

I have been extremely impressed with all areas of the Illinois defense. If we could just get the offense going, this team could be a bowl contender.