CHAMPAIGN — Tony Adams started the season on the sideline, his hand in a cast. Just as the sophomore cornerback-turned-safety was starting to get into a rhythm in the Illinois secondary, he was back on the sideline with a hamstring injury suffered against Purdue on Oct. 13.
Fully healthy — again — Adams had the best game of his career during the Illini defense's best performance of the season in a 55-31 win last Saturday against Minnesota. Adams led the team with a career-high 10 tackles and also broke up a career-high three passes.
Those are numbers Adams would like to improve upon in Saturday's 11 a.