Illinois Football: 5 observations from the Illini win over Minnesota

5. Tommy DeVito spreading the wealth

I don’t care what anyone says, Tommy DeVito is the best quarterback Illinois has had since Kurt Kittner. I have watched them all, and DeVito stands out to me.

On Saturday, DeVito continued to be exactly what Illinois needed him to be. He threw for 252 yards and one touchdown. DeVito didn’t turn the ball over and was 25-of-32 in the air, which is 78.1%. As mentioned in one of the previous slides, his efficiency is off the charts.

Illinois wide receivers are feeling the dramatic change at quarterback as well. In the past, it was a struggle to get an Illini pass catcher the ball.

Seven games into the season, Illinois has three wide receivers with at least 300 yards receiving. Just compare that to the 2021 campaign where the Illini had one wide receiver with over 300 yards, for the entire year.

Tommy DeVito has spread the wealth when it comes to getting his wide receivers the ball. The three wide receivers this season with at least 300 yards are Pat Bryant, Isaiah Williams, and Brian Hightower. All three continued to lead the way against Minnesota as well.

There were six pass catchers who had a reception against the Golden Gophers. Williams led the Illini with nine catches for 62 yards. Bryant had seven receptions for 58 yards. Hightower would finish with three receptions for 55 yards. The big three had big days. The other three pass catchers were Chase Brown with 53 yards, Casey Washington with 16 yards, and Tip Reiman with eight yards.

With a quarterback like DeVito, Illinois can finally have a passing game. He does a great job spreading the wealth with his throws. Dare I say this Illini offense is dynamic?