No. 14/16 Illinois returns to Champaign on Saturday to take on Big Ten East foe Michigan State for the first time since 2019. The Fighting Illini have won their last six contests and earned a spot in the College Football Playoff rankings earlier this week.
Illinois now sits at 7-1 overall and 4-1 in conference play, while the Spartans are 3-5 overall and 1-4 in Big Ten action. The two teams sit at opposite ends of their respective divisions. The Illini look to remain unbeaten at home, while the Spartans are still in search of their first road win of the season.
The first of two back-to-back home games for Illinois, Saturday's matchup will be critical as both teams head into the remainder of their regular-season slates.
Here are a few things to watch as the Illini take on the Spartans at 2:30 CT at Memorial Stadium in Champaign.
Offense: Establish the passing game and dominate time of possession
With the nation's leading rusher and the highest completion rate in the FBS, the Illini offense has found its groove this season. One of the biggest areas of improvement has been the play of quarterback Tommy DeVito, who ranks third in the country with a 72.5% completion rate, a mark that would also be a single-season program record.
DeVito went 20/22 in last week's win at Nebraska, and his 90.9 completion percentage set a single-game program record and a Memorial Stadium record.
"A year ago, we were 124th in completion percentage in the country. This week, we're number one in the country. That's 124 spots. That doesn't just happen by chance. That's deliberate," said head coach Bret Bielema. "Obviously, there's a quarterback involved there, but there's also a play caller, all the same receivers, all the same running backs, all the same coaches other than the offensive coordinator. A lot of positive things about our offense to get excited about."
DeVito's consistency has helped Illinois keep possession of the ball. The Illini ranks third nationally and second in the Big Ten in time of possession at over 35 minutes per game. Michigan State averages the second-worst mark in the Big Ten at 24:24, while the Spartans have registered 22 minutes of possession per game through five games of conference play.
Defense: Remain strong in the second half
Through eight games, Illinois has allowed just 17 points in the final two frames, while the Illini have only conceded seven points in the fourth quarter, all of which came in the team's second game of the season.
In conference play, the Spartans have scored 28 second-half points, seven of which came in the third quarter. The visitors' offense has been stronger in the first half this season, as 53 of the team's 81 points in conference play were scored in the opening 30 minutes.
Illinois enters the game as the conference's top defense, while Michigan State travels to Champaign as the lowest-scoring offense against Big Ten competition. The Illini have allowed 20 points at home in its two conference contests in Champaign, and the Spartans have scored 20 points in its two Big Ten road games. All 20 Michigan State points came in the opening half of the team's two conference defeats away from home.
The Illini also need to be weary of an aggressive Michigan State offense that has attempted four field goals all season and made just one. With one of the best defenses in the country, Illinois aims to keep the Spartan attack on the sidelines as often as possible.
Know the foe: Michigan State passing attack
The Spartans average 239.4 passing yards per game, which ranks eighth in the Big Ten. Michigan State heavily relies upon its aerial attack, averaging nearly 33 pass attempts this season.
Quarterback Payton Thorne will be under center on Saturday, and he was a big factor in his team's 11-win season in 2021. Thorne registered at least one passing touchdown in six of the Spartans' eight games.
The receiving trio of Keon Coleman, Jayden Reed, and Tre Mosley also factors into this passing offense, with Coleman ranking seventh in the conference with 548 yards and tied for fourth with six receiving touchdowns. Michigan State balances its targets to Coleman and Reed, as both receivers have 36 catches this season.
"I'm really excited to play Michigan State," Bielema said. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for what they've done. I think the fact that, to go through the success they had last year, and they've had the battles that they're going through this year, I'm sure at the end here is going to get one of the toughest competitions we've had here in our stadium. We need everybody there to support us; a lot of really good players, a lot of good coaches, and I'm excited about the opportunity for Saturday."
