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

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Jan 2, 2023; Tampa, FL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Tommy DeVito (3) drops back to pass against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the third quarter during the 2023 ReliaQuest Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports /

4. I am going to miss Tommy DeVito

Back on July 27, 2022, I tweeted out something that some people didn’t like. I said that this might be the best offense I have seen Illinois have, on paper, since the Kurt Kittner era.

Looking back on the tweet, and seeing what Illinois did this season, I think there is an argument that my tweet was correct. The Illinois football team had one of the best, if not the best, offense since Kittner once donned the No. 15.

Chase Brown dazzled at running back this past season. He would finish with 1,643 yards, which is only 55 yards short of the Illinois single-season rushing yardage record. If he would have played in the ReliaQuest Bowl, he would have broken the record.

Even with Brown going off nearly every game, I would argue the biggest boost for the Illinois offense was adding quarterback, Tommy DeVito. Without a good quarterback, Brown wouldn’t have been nearly as effective. DeVito really opened up the Illini offense.

DeVito would finish his Illinois career throwing for 2,650 yards, 15 touchdowns, and four interceptions. His 69.6% completion rate is also the best single-season completion percentage in program history.

Illinois being able to land transfer quarterback Luke Altmyer from Ole Miss was huge, but I will never forget how important DeVito was for the Illini in 2022. He was a special player on and off the field. Thank you for everything, Tommy.

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