3 crucial changes Illinois football needs to make to beat Kansas

3. Get Kansas off the field on 3rd down

Keeping a good offense on the field is a great way to lose a game. In order for Illinois to beat Kansas on Saturday, we are going to have to get the Jayhawks off the field on third down.

In 2023, the Illini were one of the worst teams in the country when it comes to opponent third-down conversions per game. We allowed teams to covert 6.4 third downs per contest. That ranked No. 119 out of 133 programs in the FBS.

This inability to stop opponents on third down reared its ugly head against Kansas last season. The Jayhawks did whatever they wanted on third down, as they converted 9-of-13 for the game.

The vast majority of the nine conversions were through the air. Jalon Daniels was able to find an open man for a first down on seven of the nine third-down conversions.

Illinois is more equipped to defend on third downs in 2024, though. While our defensive line isn’t better, our back eight players have improved.

I think Illinois’ secondary is much improved over last season. Torrie Cox was a nice addition and looked good in week one. Miles Scott had an insane game and is clearly improved. Illinois also has Matthew Bailey healthy. He was out for last year’s game.

Illinois’ pass overage will help a lot in stopping Kansas from converting third-down attempts. Just getting the Jayhawks off the field on a couple of third downs could save a couple of touchdowns. That puts the Illini in the driver’s seat for a victory.