3. The Illini defense continues to be suffocating
While there were a couple of bad drives in the first half, overall, the Illinois defense continued to truck teams.
Western Michigan’s offense couldn’t get much going, especially through the air. The main contributions from the quarterback position for the Broncos were on the ground. Illinois held Broc Lowry and Brady James to a combined 13-of-24 for 91 yards on the day.
There were times when the Broncos would get some type of drive going, or they would have a big play that would start a little momentum. When that happened, an Illinois player would make a big play in the next couple of plays. There would be a sack or a massive tackle for loss.
I know I already touched on this, but the second half is what really changed everything. The Illinois defense was asleep in the first half, but they came out of the gates in the final 30 minutes and completely dominated.
Western Michigan only had 18 passing yards in the second half. Think about that for a second. A team that was down by double-digits only managed to have 18 yards passing against the Illini in 30 minutes of football time.
The running game for the Broncos was shut down, too. They only had 53 yards on the ground. For those counting at home, that is a combined 71 yards in the second half against the Illini. It was a complete shutout for the Orange and Blue.