3. How well the Illinois defensive backs played
Illinois wasn’t great at defense in 2023. We had a hard time stopping anyone, and our secondary struggled greatly.
Most of the talent from last season returned, and there were a few new additions to the defensive backfield. Matthew Bailey and Kaleb Patterson are both healthy. We also added Torrie Cox Jr. and Terrance Brooks from the transfer portal.
I still wasn’t sure what the Illinois secondary would look like in 2024. Week one against Eastern Illinois was good, but that is an FCS program. Kansas was going to be the true test.
Let me tell you, this Illini defense passed the test with flying colors. The secondary looks way better than I thought they would, and Brooks hasn’t really seen the field. He was the prized transfer portal snag, and his on-field contributions haven’t even been felt yet.
From 2023 to 2024, the leap Xavier Scott has taken is incredible. He reminds me so much of Devon Witherspoon and what he brought to the table for the Illini. Scott is also a junior, so watch for the NFL to come sniffing around him.
Miles Scott was also huge for Illinois against the Jayhawks. He is everywhere on the field. Cox played well on Saturday, as Kansas shied away from his side of the field.
Jalon Daniels had a tough time with the Illinois secondary all game long. He completed just 56% of his passes, and he threw three interceptions that were backbreaking to the Jayhawks.
I missed the 2022 Illinois defense that had ball hawks in the secondary. We got away from that last season. The 2024 team seems to be back on track. I was extremely surprised with how well they played against Kansas.