Michigan State football post-game grades: Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Mel Tucker has now squared off against every program in the Big Ten. Illinois was the last one on the list for Michigan State’s third-year head coach, and Saturday’s meeting at Memorial Stadium was a memorable one for the Spartans.

Coming off a loss to rival Michigan, a result that was more troubling for what happened off the field than on it, MSU rebounded with an impressive 23-15 triumph over the Illini, who came in with one loss, longshot College Football Playoff dreams and a clean path to the Big Ten Championship Game. Down eight defensive players, MSU had one of its better defensive showings of the year, even if Illinois’ 441 yards of total offense might not show it. Offensively, the Spartans pieced together enough plays to hold a lead through the final 40 minutes, 21 seconds.

MSU improved to 4-5, and now it just needs two wins in its final three outings to guarantee itself a spot in a bowl game.

Below are first-reaction, position-by-position grades from MSU’s win over the Illini: