4. Dylan Rosiek
I am not sure why anyone is saying that the Illinois football defense needs to be blamed for the program losing. I actually believe the defense has played some solid football for the talent they have on that side of the ball.
One of the more impressive players this season has been Dylan Rosiek. Coming into the 2023 campaign, Rosiek hadn’t been a huge factor for the Illini. He had eight tackles and one tackle for loss last season. So, I didn’t expect him to make a big leap this year.
Rosiek has played some great football this season, though. He has 37 tackles, two forced fumbles, and two pass deflections for the Illinois defense. He had a season-high 10 tackles against Nebraska as well.
Throughout the past four games, Rosiek’s pass defense has improved. He had a pass coverage grade of 53.4 against Penn State, 64.8 against Florida Atlantic, 65.2 against Purdue, and this past week, Rosiek had a season-best 67.1 pass coverage grade against Nebraska.
Illinois is going to need Rosiek’s pass coverage skills at linebacker once again against Maryland. The Terrapins are averaging 280 passing yards per game, which ranks No. 27 in the country. They are a passing team, so if we can lock that down, Illinois has a shot to win the game.
Let’s get Rosiek going in the middle of the Illini defense. His ability to shut down opposing passing games is going to be important to get the defense off the field.