Illinois Football: 3 things to watch for in the Illini game against Mississippi State

Oct 1, 2022; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Tommy DeVito (3) celebrates with offensive linenam Julian Pearl (54) following a touchdown during the second 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 quarterback Tommy DeVito (3) celebrates with offensive linenam Julian Pearl (54) following a touchdown during the second quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
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Illinois football
Nov 26, 2022; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Tyler Strain (20) intercepts a pass intended for Northwestern Wildcats wide receiver Jack Kennedy (85) during the second half at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Illinois football has a chance to come out victorious in a bowl game for the first time since 2011.

The Illini take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Monday. This is an interesting matchup for many reasons, one of which is the style of play.

Mississippi State is a traditional passing team while the Illini like the ground-and-pound type of game. But with so many players missing, who knows what we will see on Monday.

Here are three things to watch for in the Illinois football game against Mississippi State.

1. How will Illinois’ secondary perform

Illinois football had one of the best defenses in the country in 2022. I would argue that this defense was led by the Illini secondary and their great play.

In the regular season alone, Illinois only gave up 176 yards per game through the air, which ranked No. 9 in the country. That is a number I didn’t think I would ever see.

The leader of the secondary was Devon Witherspoon. He finished the year with 42 tackles, 14 pass deflections, and three interceptions. He was also a consensus first-team All-American. Witherspoon also had help from safety, Sydney Brown. These two in the secondary were a dominant duo.

Sadly, Illinois has lost Witherspoon and Brown to the NFL Draft. They will not be participating in the ReliaQuest Bowl. This leaves a big gap in the middle of the Illinois defense.

On Monday, I am going to be watching to see how Illinois’ secondary performs against Mississippi State. It is going to be exciting to see some of the younger guys get more playing time.

The future of the secondary is going to be on the shoulders of players like Tyler Strain. As a freshman, Strain got some playing time and performed well. I expect him and some of the younger guys to be thrown in there to see what they can do. I have confidence in their ability.