Illinois Football: Miles Scott earns Big Ten honor after big week for Illini

A depleted secondary? No problem for the Illinois football team who showed they can develop safeties with the best of the best in the country.

One would think the Illini would struggle greatly in the secondary to start the 2023 season. While we did have a hard time stopping Toledo, it was mainly the front six who ended up being the cause of concern. Illinois’ secondary actually played decently well.

Toledo quarterback Dequan Finn threw for 230 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. He only completed 55.5% of his passes, and the lone interception was a big one.

The Rockets had a 19-7 lead, and Illinois threw an interception. This was the chance for Toledo to step on our throats. They could have broken the game wide open. On the next offensive drive for Toledo, Illinois safety Miles Scott stepped in front of a Finn pass and took it to the house for a 48-yard touchdown.

This interception was a game-changer, and it is a big reason why Scott is now getting some big praise from the Big Ten. On Tuesday, the conference released players of the week, and Scott was named the Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week.

Miles Scott is filling the shoes of some great Illinois football defensive back talent

Scott had an all-around good game against Toledo. He finished with six tackles, which was third on the team. Scott also had a pass deflection, and his interception was Illinois’ lone forced turnover.

This solid performance earned high praise from Pro Football focus as well. With a grade of 91.6 for week one, Scott is now the top-rated safety in all of college football. His run defense grade was 76.1, which ranked No. 17 among all safeties, and his pass coverage grade was 90.7, which was third in the country among all safeties.

Having a defensive back succeed isn’t anything new for the Illini. Just this past season, Illinois had three defensive backs get selected in the NFL Draft. Devon Witherspoon went to the Seattle Seahawks with pick No. 5 overall. Jartavius Martin headed to the Washington Commanders in the second round. And Sydney Brown went to the Philadelphia Eagles in round No. 3.

Those are some pretty big shoes to fill, and through week one, Scott has managed to fill them well. He went from being a wide receiver in 2022 to saving the Illini from disaster against Toledo with a big-time pick-six. This might be the start of something special for the Orange and Blue.