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Illinois Football: Top 3 surprise performances in the Illini win over Toledo

By Rees Woodcock

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - JULY 26: An Illinois Fighting Illini helmet is seen at Big Ten football media days at Lucas Oil Stadium on July 26, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - JULY 26: An Illinois Fighting Illini helmet is seen at Big Ten football media days at Lucas Oil Stadium on July 26, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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Illinois football
Sep 2, 2023; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Toledo Rockets running back Jacauez Stuart (0) puts a hand to Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Miles Scott (10) during the first half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

Illinois football sweated out what ended up being one of the craziest games of the weekend in college football.

The Illini got into a hole early on and eventually dug out of it throughout the second half. A last-second field goal would clinch the game for the Orange and Blue.

To get to the point of being able to win the game, Illinois needed to have some players step up in a big way. Some of the performances were a bit surprising on Saturday as well.

Here are three surprise performances for the Illinois football team against Toledo

1. Miles Scott

  • Stats: 6 tackles, 1 pass deflection, 1 INT, 1 TD

Illinois lost a ton of secondary production from the 2022 campaign. With Devon Witherspoon, Jartavius Martin, Kendall Smith, and Sydney Brown all gone, someone had to step up and make big plays.

On Saturday, that someone ended up being Miles Scott. The second-year defensive back had his name called on Saturday against Toledo, and he stepped into a leadership role at safety.

Scott only had one prior start to the game against the Rockets. In fact, before this past spring, Scott wasn’t even a defensive back. He played wide receiver for Illinois in 2022. Scott finished his first season in Champaign with four receptions for 29 yards.

During spring camp, Illinois needed help in the secondary, so Scott made the flip. Who would have thought this decision would help the Illini win the first game of the season?

With Illinois down 19-7 against Toledo, and things looking pretty bleak as the Rockets had the ball again, Scott made one of the biggest plays I have seen in the last few years.


Dequan Finn thought he had a wide receiver on the hash marks, but Scott emerged out of the middle of the field to pick the ball off and take it to the house for a touchdown. This interception changed the momentum of the game and gave us a much-needed score.

If it wasn’t for Scott’s interception and score, I doubt Illinois would win this game. He also had six tackles and a pass deflection against the Rockets. This was a big game for Scott and one that will hopefully be a tone-setter for the rest of the 2023 campaign.

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