Bailey and Scott Lead Illini Defense | Illinois Fighting Illini Football News

Illinois’ defense exploded in their opening win over UAB, led by senior captain Matthew Bailey—eight tackles and a 75.3 PFF grade—and the returning Xavier Scott, who played 70 snaps and graded 72.7 after missing most of last season. With both stars anchoring a talented but needing secondary, the Illini have a real shot to turn heads in the Big Ten—if they can keep this level of play consistent all year. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/1366367b9e48cb1a