Illinois Football: 3 key players for the Illini to beat the Kansas Jayhawks

2. Seth Coleman

I mentioned in the previous slide that I think Illinois is going to load the box against Kansas. In the Toledo game, we relied too much on just a three-man rush. That can’t happen again.

With Illinois bringing more guys, that will put more pressure on the quarterback. This will lead to more mistakes, or at least it should.

Stopping the dangerous one-two punch of Jalon Daniels and Devin Neal isn’t going to be that easy, though. Even when you know they are running the ball, they can still break away for big gains. That is why I think Seth Coleman is going to play a huge role in a potential Illini win on Friday night.

Daniels does a lot with the run-pass option. He is extremely dangerous and smart with the football. When he sees the linebacker on the end bite on the handoff, Daniels pulls the ball out and runs wild. This is usually what happens when he has big gains with his feet.

Coleman needs to keep contain. He can’t bite on the fake handoff to Neal. Coleman needs to rely on his defensive line which features a preseason All-American to stop the run up the gut. If Coleman bites, then Daniels will run for days.

I believe all Illinois linebackers have a huge role on Friday night, but Coleman is the guy who will be tasked with stopping the big gain. Let’s see if he can stop this preseason Big 12 Player of the Year.