Illinois Football: 3 key players for the Illini to beat Penn State

3. LB Tarique Barnes

There have been plenty of Illinois players who have started the season a bit slow. One of the players I mentioned in an article earlier in the week about Illini players who have struggled at the start of the season is Tarique Barnes.

Barnes is a great player, and I know that slow starts happen at times. He has been great in the pass rush, but Barnes’ run defense grade of 57.9 ranks No. 400 out of 600 linebackers. His coverage grade is even worse at 37.2, which ranks No. 469 in the nation.

I think Barnes is going to be one of the key players for Illinois to get a win against Penn State. He is our starting middle linebacker, and honestly, if he doesn’t play well, the Illinois defense is going to struggle greatly.

The Illini secondary is going to have a lot to deal with against the Nittany Lions. They won’t be able to get into the box too often because of their coverage duties. Barnes is going to be tasked with covering the middle of the defense and stopping Penn State’s dangerous running attack up the middle.

If Barnes can lock down the middle of the Illinois defense, then we have a legitimate shot at taking down Penn State. I believe the Illini defense goes as Barnes goes.