Three reasons Illinois could hang with Ohio State

Ohio State is a huge favorite over Illinois. However, there are a few things that the Fighting Illini can use to stay with the Buckeyes.

Illinois has a ton of speed on defense and that could be important

Before I go down the Illinois defensive speed, keep in mind that while it has been fast and solid, the Illini have had huge ups and downs this season. It has been better against the pass than the run, and a lot of that is because it has speed and not a ton of power.

The pass defense is opportunistic and relies on speed to close distance and break on the ball. Granted, the Illini defense has not played someone of Justin Fields’ caliber yet, but that doesn’t mean the defense can’t cause problems. Reading the field and not taking the bait will help Fields stay out of any trouble.

While Illinois has not been great against the run, it has been solid enough. It all starts with the big man in the middle, Rod Perry. While a lot of attention will be on speedy defensive end Owen Carney Jr., Perry clogs the middle nicely and allows the speed of the defense to converge on the ballcarrier.

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NEXT … The Illini can run the ball

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