Illinois football: Illini MVP in the win against Penn State

On Saturday, Bret Bielema and this Illinois football team defeated No.7 ranked Penn State, 20-18.

The Illini pulled off the upset win over Penn State in what was their second victory in the last three games.

Illinois’ defense played out of their mind, and the offense, outside of the quarterback play, played well. These are the reasons why there are three MVPs for the game.

The MVPs for the Illinois football team are Chase Brown, Josh McCray, and the entire defense.

Chase Brown had a great Saturday rushing for 223 yards and 2 touchdowns. In addition, Brown averaged 6.8 yards per carry. He did an excellent job of finding holes and getting into the Penn State secondary.

Josh McCray also had a great game as he rushed for 143 yards and averaged 5.9 yards per carry. Brown and McCray carried the offense with a combined 357 yards.

The Illini defense was also outstanding. Since the Virginia game, defensive coordinator Ryan Walters has made changes, and the changes keep showing on the field.

Illinois’ defense held Sean Clifford to 165 passing yards and Jahan Dotson to 69 receiving yards. Not to mention, Penn State only had 62 rushing yards the entire game. The defense also held strong in over with multiple big stops. The effort from the defense kept the Illini in the game.

With the win, Illinois is now 3-5 overall on the season, and they still have life for a bowl game. The next game is against Rutgers. It will be interesting to see how the Illini will perform on offense as, more than likely, Brandon Peters will be under center due to Artur Sitkowski getting injured. But there is no doubt in my mind that this Illinois defense will come to play on Saturday.