5. The Illini secondary locked down Penn State’s offense
I know this was an extremely frustrating loss for the Illinois fanbase. The Illini had an opportunity to shock the world on Saturday, but our offense let it slip through the cracks.
The Illini defense, and Reggie Love III, are the only things that kept Illinois in the game. The front six of the defense had its best game of the season, and the Illinois secondary played incredibly well.
Someone probably will look at the scoreboard and see Penn State put up 30 points. You would automatically think that the Illinois defense struggled. That isn’t the case at all, though.
Illinois’ secondary in particular was able to shut down Penn State’s passing attack. Quarterback Drew Allar only threw for 208 yards and failed to put one in the end zone. He was just 16-of-33 through the air as well. That is 48% for those keeping track at home.
I loved the aggressive nature of the Illini secondary too. We were all over the field making plays. I noticed that tackling improved immensely as well. This was a huge issue in the first two games of the season.
What the game against Penn State did for me was give me more confidence in the Illinois defense. I needed this confidence. I think there is hope for the future of the season due to this confidence. The secondary was a big part of the impressive defensive performance on Saturday.