Writing Illini
Fansided

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

By Rees Woodcock

Oct 1, 2022; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Kendall Smith (7) intercepts a pass during the first quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 1, 2022; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Kendall Smith (7) intercepts a pass during the first quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next
Illinois football
CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS – OCTOBER 08: Kenenna Odeluga #39 of the Illinois Fighting Illini celebrates after a play during the second half in the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Memorial Stadium on October 08, 2022 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

Illinois football has a big game on Saturday against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

This is the first time the Illini have played a game in the AP Top 25 since 2011. Hopefully, this won’t be the last time we see the Orange and Blue represented in the rankings. A big win over Minnesota could mean a climb into the top 20 next week.

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

#3 vs #9

Heading into the game on Saturday, the Illini are looked at as one of the best defenses in the country. We have players who are consistently getting the job done every week.

One of the specialties is the Illinois run defense. This season, the Illini are only giving up 67.4 yards per game on the ground, which is an insane number. In fact, there are only two teams, James Madison and Clemson, who are ahead of Illinois in run defense.

But the Illini will also be going up against another tough run defense on Saturday in Minnesota. The Golden Gophers can hold their own, as they are only giving up 93 yards per game on the ground. Minnesota ranks No. 9 in the country in rush defense.

So, the No. 3 rush defense is going up against the No. 9 rush defense. This is a big number because the winner of the game will likely be the team that can break through the other’s front seven.

This is Big Ten football at its finest. I will be curious to see how running backs Chase Brown and Mohamed Ibrahim do in the backfield. I give the upper hand to Brown because he has played a top 50 rush defense in each of the past two games in Wisconsin and Iowa. Brown went for 129 yards and 146 yards, respectively.

Home/Illinois Football