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Illinois Football: 5 observations from the Illini loss to Mississippi State

ByRees Woodcock|
Jan 2, 2023; Tampa, FL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema takes the field fro the the 2023 ReliaQuest Bowl against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2023; Tampa, FL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema takes the field fro the the 2023 ReliaQuest Bowl against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
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Illinois football
Jan 2, 2023; Tampa, FL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Kendall Smith (7) reacts after intercepting the ball against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the second quarter during the 2023 ReliaQuest Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

We are less than 24 hours removed from the end of the season, and I already miss Illinois football.

The Illini season came to an official end on Monday with a disappointing loss to Mississippi State in the ReliaQuest Bowl. This was a good game throughout with the Bulldogs kicking a game-winning field goal with just a few seconds left on the clock.

Overall, with so many pieces missing, I was impressed with Illinois and our ability to keep up with a top SEC program.

Here are five observations from the Illinois football loss to Mississippi State.

1. The Illinois defense was still impressive

What if I told you that the Illini would lose some key players on defense and our defensive coordinator heading into the bowl game? One would think Illinois would struggle against a top-25 SEC program.

That wasn’t the case at all, though. In fact, on Monday, the Illini played one of the best games of the season defensively.

Illinois was missing our defensive coordinator in Ryan Walters, who is now the head coach at Purdue. We were missing a consensus first-team All-American cornerback in Devon Witherspoon. Sydney Brown, our starting safety in 2022, was also missing. But this Illini defensive unit still managed to give up just 13 points against a solid Mississippi State offense in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

I was impressed by the Illinois front seven and their ability to rush Will Rogers. He is a good quarterback who is able to scramble, but the defensive line and linebackers didn’t let him get loose. But I think the star of the show on Monday was Illinois’ secondary.

Despite missing our two biggest players in the secondary, the Illini held Rogers to 261 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions on the day. He couldn’t sustain a drive for too long. The ability to shut down the Bulldogs’ offense is incredible considering Illinois had multiple freshmen playing in the secondary.

This was Aaron Henry’s first game as the Illini defensive coordinator. He stepped into the role and passed with flying colors. I think the Illinois defense is in good hands with Henry leading the way.

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