Illinois Football: 3 key Illini players against the Wyoming offense

2. Devon Witherspoon

Over the past five years, the Illini haven’t been known as a good pass defensive program. We used to get shredded through the air, and this killed any chance for the team to win games.

But that ugly trend has started to change. With Ryan Walters as our defensive coordinator, Illinois is now a good team at stopping the pass. We ended the 2021 campaign giving up just 215.2 yards per game through the air, which ranked No. 39 in the nation.

A big piece to that solid pass defense was Devon Witherspoon. He ended up starting in 10 games in 2021 and put together 52 tackles, nine pass breakups, eight tackles for loss, and a sack. This performance earned him All-Big Ten honorable mention.

The reason Witherspoon is going to be a key Illini to stop Wyoming is the fact we don’t know what the Cowboys are going to look like through the air. Wyoming lost their top two quarterbacks from last season, so we don’t know what the quarterback situation will look like. But that makes it hard for the Illinois secondary to prepare.

I assume Andrew Peasley will end up starting for Wyoming, but there is limited tape on him from Utah State. This is going to be a challenge for a defensive back like Witherspoon. He is going to need to be on his toes and prepared for Saturday or Wyoming could sneak a play or two past the Illinois secondary.

Wyoming didn’t have a good passing game last season, and I expect they will be below average again this year. But we cannot sleep on this team. Witherspoon is going to be crucial in pass defense.