Oct 23, 2020; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini linebacker Tarique Barnes (44) returns a fumble for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
While the Illinois football team did struggle on Friday night, there were a few players who impressed me.
Let me first start off with the player of the game and that goes to Tarique Barnes. The 6-foot-1 linebacker didn’t have the hype that some of the other Illinois linebackers had coming into this season, but he outplayed every single one of them on Friday night.