5 massive observations from the Illinois football win over Rutgers

4. Josh McCray was one of the MVPs on the day

Pat Bryant is going to get all of the hype and understandably so. He had a legendary game and was the reason we scored that huge touchdown to beat Rutgers.

While Bryant should get a lot of praise, I think we have to give a hat-tip to Josh McCray. He was brilliant for the Orange and Blue.

McCray was the most effective running back on the ground for the Illini. He had 13 carries for 58 yards and a touchdown. He had a hard time going down, and much like Kyle Monangai, McCray had quite a few yards after contact. There was one play that stuck in my head where he was hit two yards in the backfield but still managed to gain a yard on the ground.

The impact McCray had on the Illinois football team goes far beyond his ability to rush the football, though. He was a crucial part of the passing game as well.

Illinois’ offensive line struggled the entire game. They were able to put pressure on Luke Altmyer at a high rate, and some of the time it was just on a three-man rush. But when McCray was back there blocking, everything opened up for Altmyer.

McCray was the best offensive lineman Illinois had in the game, and he doesn’t even play on the offensive line. He had a huge block on a big play late in the game when Rutgers was called for pass interference. That play couldn’t have happened without McCray giving Altmyer time.

And then on the final play of the game, Rutgers brought a couple of extra players on a blitz. McCray picked up a linebacker who was flying in, and he discarded him to give Altmyer time in the pocket. Altmyer hit Bryant, and the rest was history.

Illinois doesn’t beat Rutgers without Bryant, but we also wouldn’t beat the Scarlet Knights without McCray’s great blocking. He isn’t going to get a lot of love after the win, but McCray was huge for the Illini on Saturday.