BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — One of the biggest concerns for the No. 9 Illini entering tonight’s showdown against the No. 19 Indiana Hoosiers was with the injury-riddled secondary.
That position group took an even bigger hit in the second quarter of Saturday night’s contest, as senior defensive back and team captain Miles Scott got ejected after getting called for a targeting penalty.
The call came after Scott rocked Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. in the middle of the field. A hit that the referees declared
was head-to-head contact.
Prior to the game, Illinois announced that star defensive back Xavier Scott, brother of Miles, would not be suiting up.
Xavier suffered a lower-body injury in the second half of the Illini’s game against Western Michigan that sidelined him for the remainder of the game, as well as every team practice this week.
Illinois’ junior defensive back Jaheim Clarke did not suit up for the team’s Big Ten opener either, as he’s been dealing with injury concerns all season thus far.
Against an Indiana offense led by a talented quarterback in Fernando Mendoza, with a dynamic wide receiver room at his side, seeing yet another DB be ruled out is certainly not what the Illini were hoping for.
