The Illini picked up their first home conference win of the season after a thrilling back-and-forth battle with Michigan State. Third-string quarterback Jeff George Jr. put together some impressive drives to lead the orange and blue to victory, but the defense also came to play with some huge sacks and third down stops. It’s hard to narrow it down to three, but below are our players of the game ranked hockey-style.
Third Star: Tre Watson
Redshirt sophomore Tre Watson is one of several Illini defenders who has emerged this season for Lovie Smith. On Saturday against the Spartans he racked up a career-high 16 tackles, two of which were tackles for loss.