5 huge observations from the Illinois football win over Michigan State

5. The Illini offense answered the call when momentum turned

Someone who didn’t watch the game will look at the box score and think this game was a blowout. They might think that the Illini didn’t have to worry too much in the game.

That wasn’t the case at all, though. While Illinois had a 21-9 lead at halftime, this lead shrunk quickly to start the second half.

Michigan State got the ball on the opening possession of the second half and had one of their two great drives of the game that led to a touchdown. The Spartans narrowed the deficit to 21-16 immediately to start the third quarter, and this was a game in the blink of an eye.

The Spartans changed momentum completely. This game could have gone in a bad direction if Illinois didn’t also answer the call. But, thankfully, the Illini offense brought their A-game on Saturday.

On the next drive after the Michigan State touchdown, the Illinois offense drove down into Michigan State territory and was able to get a field goal on the board. This zapped some of the Spartans' momentum and extended the lead to eight points.

There were a few game-changing moments throughout the game on Saturday. I think the response to Michigan State’s opening drive in the second half was one of the bigger moments in the contest. Illinois showed life offensively and didn’t let the Spartans get too much momentum.