Illinois Ranks 118th Against the Pass Before Facing Michigan State
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The Illinois pass defense ranks 118th nationally, giving up an average of 255.0 yards per game through the air. The Fighting Illini are also tied for 133rd in red zone defense and have recorded only three sacks all season. That should be a benefit to a Michigan State Spartans offense that has struggled all season long.
Michigan State has averaged just 18.2 points per game, scoring 91 total points and nine total touchdowns this season. The Spartans host Illinois on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1 at Spartan Stadium, the program’s 110th Homecoming game.
Illinois Pass Defense Is the Soft Spot
Illinois has been far more vulnerable through the air than on the ground. The Illini sit 55th nationally against the run and 118th against the pass, and they have gotten almost no help from their rush: three sacks in five games. For a Michigan State offense that has thrown for three touchdowns all season, that is the clearest opening on the field.
Nick Sheridan on the Illini’s Odd Front
Illinois has been in transition on that side of the ball. First-year defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck was removed after four games, following a 42-19 loss at Ohio State on Sept. 26, and inside linebackers coach Roger Cooper has taken over as the interim play-caller. The 3-3-5 front stayed.
Spartans offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan described the Fighting Illini’s odd 3-3-5 defensive front as a communication test. He told 247Sports:
Yeah, that’ll be certainly a big point of emphasis, just the multiplicity of the front and what they do. You have to communicate and you have to be on the same page and you have to make sure you’re hatted up and that the guys know who they’re going to and what their responsibilities are, because they do provide multiple fronts.
Odd is a loose term, just because there’s lots of variations of odd, and they play them all.
An odd-man front can open run lanes, and Michigan State would take that. The bigger edge is still the one Illinois has handed every opponent so far, and it is in the passing game.
Spartans Need Big Game from Key Players
Michigan State needs a big game from quarterback Alessio Milivojevic and running back Jaziun Patterson. The Spartans need to score touchdowns, not settle for field goals.
This season, Milivojevic has completed 62.0% of his passes for 851 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions. Patterson has rushed for 162 yards on 44 carries and two touchdowns, averaging 3.7 yards per carry.
Rodney Bullard Jr. leads the Spartans in receiving yards this season. He has caught 15 passes for 206 yards and one touchdown, averaging 13.7 yards per reception. Chrishon McCray has caught more passes, 18 for 150 yards, without a touchdown. Bullard needs to be effective in the receiving game.
Both teams arrive at 2-3 overall and 0-2 in the Big Ten. Michigan State has a chance to win its first conference game of the season against a team that does not defend the pass well.
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