Xavier Scott put Illinois football on his back in the first half against Kansas

The first half of the Illinois football game against Kansas had its ups and downs, but Xavier Scott was the star of the show.

If you said that the Illini only gave up 10 points to the Jayhawks in the first half, I would have taken that pregame. This is a good Kansas offense, and only 10 points in a half is a win for Illinois.

On top of only giving up 10 points, Illinois' defense also outscored the offense, 7-6 in the first half.

Illinois football first half successes

• Xavier Scott

Xavier Scott was easily the brightest spot for Illinois in the first half against Kansas. He was everywhere on the field, and without him, this game could have gotten out of hand.

Scott is making an insane number of plays. He was crucial on the first Kansas drive, as the Jayhawks were moving the ball but Scott pulled down an interception.

At the end of the first half, Kansas was trying to push the ball and get into scoring range, but Scott had other plans. He picked off a Jalon Daniels pass and took it to the house.

I also loved the tackling ability of Scott in the first half. He was making plays when we needed it the most. Illinois is lucky to have him on the field.

• Luke Altmyer & Zakhari Franklin chemistry

Illinois added Zakhari Franklin this offseason to their wide receiver corps. He has instantly made a connection with Luke Altmyer, as he has been Altmyer’s go-to target quite often.

Franklin has good hands and made multiple huge catches in the first half. The chemistry between these two is pretty impressive considering they haven’t worked together that long.

Illinois football first half failures

• Mistakes

There are moments in games you can point to where the momentum shifts. Scott’s interception was one of those plays in the positive. Aidan Laughery’s dropped touchdown was a negative momentum play.

Illinois still managed to score three points on the drive, but Laughery had a wide-open touchdown and inexplicably dropped the ball. This would have been a huge momentum play for the Illini, but it ended up being a good play for Kansas.

Another mistake was by Franklin. On a wide receiver screen, he caught the ball, tried to fight for a first down, and fumbled it to Kansas. Illinois’ defense held strong, but this was a bad momentum play.

Franklin also had a huge catch late in the second quarter, but on the next play, he had a false start which put Illinois back five yards in the drive. We need to stop shooting ourselves in the foot.

Later on in the drive, Illinois had a 3rd-and-14, and the ball was mishandled by Altmyer, and this all but ended the drive. A field goal was still the result.