Illinois Football: 5 observations from the Illini win over Maryland

5. I was impressed by the Illinois wide receivers

The last position I want to point out is the Illinois wide receivers. Once again, this unit came up huge for the program and sealed away the win.

Illinois’ first touchdown of the game was to Pat Bryant. He caught a 44-yard pass for the score in the first quarter. The ability to get separation and snag the pass was huge for the Illini to get started on the right foot.

Isaiah Williams is the Illinois offense safety blanket. He is someone Luke Altmyer can go to nearly every play. The Illini took the lead with his first touchdown of the season, a 15-yard catch.

And lastly, Casey Washington. My man. What a catch on the final drive of the game. Illinois needed a big play, and Washington came through in the clutch. It wasn’t a great pass, but it was good enough for Washington to go up and catch it on top of the defensive back.

I would argue that the catch by Washington is one of the best and most clutch catches I have seen an Illinois wide receiver make. I would put it, probably, in the top 10 in the last couple of decades. Without that catch, the Illini probably have to win the game in overtime.

Illinois’ wide receivers came up huge when we needed them. They made big play after big play, and this enabled the Illini to move to 3-4 on the season.