The Michigan State football team is without its top pass rusher and a starting safety among eight suspended players vs. Illinois.
www.stltoday.com
By Anderson Kimball Decatur (Ill.) Herald & Review
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — When
Illinois hosts Michigan State on Saturday, the Illini will go up against a depleted Spartans defense.
After a postgame incident in the tunnel after Michigan State’s loss to in-state rival Michigan, the Spartans
suspended eight players. That included five players who have started a game this season.
“I don’t think they’re going to change anything schematically, but we kind of just play who plays on Saturday and figure it out from there,” Illinois coach
Bret Bielema said.
The biggest loss for the Spartans is edge rusher
Jacoby Windmon. Windmon leads the FBS in forced fumbles with six and leads the Big Ten with 11 tackles for loss. He also has 6.5 sacks in eight games this season.
Starting safety
Angelo Grose is also suspended along with other rotational players.
That means an opportunity for the Illinois (7-1, 6-1 Big Ten) offense that has been minimizing turnovers over the past couple of weeks to pair with its impressive running game. Illinois has just one turnover over the past two games, and its passing offense has improved in efficiency and will go up against a unit without its top pass rusher and a safety.