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Illinois Football: 3 key numbers for the Illini to beat Virginia

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 27: Tommy DeVito #3 and Chase Brown #2 of the Illinois Fighting Illini celebrate after defeating the Wyoming Cowboys 38-6 at Memorial Stadium on August 27, 2022 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 27: Tommy DeVito #3 and Chase Brown #2 of the Illinois Fighting Illini celebrate after defeating the Wyoming Cowboys 38-6 at Memorial Stadium on August 27, 2022 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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Nov 6, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Devon Witherspoon (31) celebrates a win against the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the fourth quarter at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports /

Illinois football is set to take on a tough Virginia Cavaliers team this Saturday.

If you are an Illini fan, you know how scary Virginia can be. Last season, we got our pants knocked off of us by the Cavaliers, as they would beat us 42-14 in a game that wasn’t too competitive for much of the second half.

There are a few key stats to keep an eye on heading into the game against the Cavaliers. If Illinois can make some adjustments from the game in 2021, then I think we could come away with a victory.

Here are three key numbers for the Illinois football team to beat Virginia.

1. 405 yards

The Illinois football program heads into the game against Virginia on Saturday looking to stop a pretty good quarterback in Brennan Armstrong.

Armstrong threw for 4,449 yards and 31 touchdowns in 2021, and he has started this season off well with 246 yards and two touchdowns in week one. Armstrong also saw tremendous success when the two teams met up in 2021.

During the 2021 campaign, Armstrong managed to throw for over 400 yards on multiple occasions. One of those occasions came against the Illini where he threw for 405 yards. That is why this is a key number for Illinois to beat Virginia.

If Illinois wants any chance of knocking off Virginia on Saturday, they are going to need to hold Armstrong to under 405 yards passing. I think this is a possible feat given how good this Illini defense can be at times.

Illinois only gave up 300 or more yards through the air two times in 2021. One of those was to Virginia and the other was the next game against Maryland. So, in 10 out of 12 games, Illinois gave up fewer than 300 yards passing. We know it can be done.

Devon Witherspoon and Co. need to be ready on Saturday. They are going to be crucial pieces in stopping Armstrong from throwing all over us. If we can limit him to under 300 yards through the air, then I like our chances. We definitely can’t give up 405 yards again.

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