{
  "id": 14098599,
  "title": "Michigan State's top five defenders vs. Illinois, according to PFF",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/michigan-states-top-five-defenders-vs-illinois-according-to-pff",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-13T02:33:47.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/michigan-states-top-five-defenders-023347381.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Michigan State football suffered its fourth consecutive loss of the 2026 season, falling to Illinois 38-37 in overtime. The difference between victory and defeat came down to a two-point conversion that the Spartans failed to complete. Defensively, Michigan State fell short in stopping the Fighting Illini. Injuries plagued the Spartans, preventing them from fielding enough quality defenders to secure the win. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) provided their evaluations of Michigan State's top five defenders from the game against Illinois. Here are their rankings for the players who logged a minimum of five snaps in the matchup:\n\n1. Linebacker Jordan Hall - 89.8\n2. Defensive Tackle Ben Roberts - 72.2\n3. Safety Devin Vaught - 66.8\n4. Defensive End Anelu Lafaele - 66.7\n5. Linebacker Dion Crawford - 66.5\n\nJordan Hall's impressive performance underscores the significant impact his absence due to injury had on the Spartans' defense. Anelu Lafaele's standout play throughout the season also deserves recognition. For up-to-date Michigan State news, updates, and opinions, stay connected with Spartans Wire on X (formerly Twitter), like our Facebook page, and follow Cory Linsner on X (@Rex_Linzy).",
  "summary": "See who the top five defenders were for Michigan State against Illinois.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "PFF ranks Michigan State's top five offensive players vs. Illinois",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/pff-ranks-michigan-states-top-five-offensive-players-vs-illinois",
        "published": "2026-10-13T02:05:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}