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Watch now: Illinois State defense remains confident despite 2 major losses

NORMAL — Tasked to replace quality with quality after the departures of all-conference players Romeo McKnight and Devin Taylor, the Illinois State football team’s defense is quite capable of answering that call.

That’s the feeling of Redbird cornerback Charles Woods and defensive tackle Jason Lewan.

Woods is a returning starter at cornerback. Taylor was the other corner until he recently transferred to Virginia Tech to play this fall.

Lewan and McKnight were part of a ferocious ISU defensive line that helped the Redbirds reach the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs last season. But McKnight has entered the transfer portal with the intention of landing with another team.