by Logan Hanson
FightingIllini.com
If a fan was watching the Illini defense against the Penn State offense in Memorial Stadium on Sept. 21, it would've been hard to miss number 97 in orange. Sophomore defensive lineman Bobby Roundtree was consistently making plays under the lights for the Illini. By the end of the game, Roundtree had a team-high 12 tackles including ten solo, 2.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks, each marking career highs. Even with the strong performance, Roundtree wants to help his team in even more ways heading into the Illini's next game.
"It feels good, but I feel like I could've brought more to the table," said Roundtree, "I made some mistakes in that game and I wish I could go back and fix those mistakes, but (I) just need to keep doing my absolute best."
Roundtree's play did not go unnoticed by the coaches either. Defensive coordinator Hardy Nickerson saw it as a young player growing and continually improving throughout the season.
"What you saw was a guy flying all over the field, making plays all over the place and getting after the quarterback," said Nickerson, "You can see his growth, his improvement. He just keeps getting better and better."
One of the improvements Roundtree has made in his game from last season to this season is his ability to swat balls down at the line of scrimmage. Roundtree is currently tied for the nation lead in pass breakups for defensive linemen with five, which included one against Penn State. For Roundtree, it is just another weapon to add to his arsenal of interrupting the offense.
"I feel like if I can't get back there like I want to, maybe mess with the quarterback and just try to do what I can do to help the secondary and just put my hands up and try to at least bat the ball down or if I could get an interception," said Roundtree.
For the Illini defense, there will be an increased significance placed on the team's rush defense in their game against Rutgers. After surrendering over 300 yards on the ground to Penn State and giving up over 250 to Rutgers last season, the Illini understand that stopping the run will play a crucial role for their performance on Saturday.
"When you talk about run defense most of the time if there's something you don't like it's explosive plays," said head coach Lovie Smith, "When you have big plays a lot of times there are missed tackles. We're in position a lot of times, we need to be able to make some of those I'd like to see us tackle better."
For Roundtree, he wants the defense to establish the run defense by the players fitting their gaps and plugging holes.
"Just hitting our gaps, being relentless," said Roundtree, "Just listening for our calls so our 'backers know what gaps to hit and plugging those so the backs don't have anywhere to run."
The game on Saturday will likely come down to who can be more physical upfront on both sides of the ball. If the game does come down to a battle in the trenches, it is clear the Illini will have one of the best players on the filed on their side in Roundtree.
The Illini will play the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Saturday at HighPoint.com Stadium in Piscataway, N.J. at 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT.
