Illinois football entered the season with expectations of an undefeated non-conference season but hit a snag against the Duke Blue Devils, losing 31-27 at home in Week 2. 

Last weekend's Week 3 clash against the Southern Illinois Salukis led to an impressive 48-10 Fighting Illini win that saw several players take big steps forward.

The team's top performers were revealed and they include familiar names who paved the way to victory against SIU. 

Illinois' vaunted passing connection of Collin Dixon and Katin Houser received the best Pro Football Focus grades from the team's win over SIU. 

Dixon ranked first with a grade of 88.1 (out of 100) while Houser finished with a grade of 85.4 

Dixon had 8 catches for 131 yards and two touchdowns, bringing his season totals to 25 catches for 367 yards and three touchdowns, placing him sixth nationally in receiving yards and first nationally in receiving touchdowns. 

Houser finished with 23-of-29 completions for 305 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He is ranked 36th in passing yards nationally with 758 heading into Saturday's game against Ohio State. 

Freshman running back Javari Barnett cracked the top five of the PFF rankings for Week 3, finishing third on the Fighting Illini with a grade of 83.4. Barnett, of Tampa Bay Tech High School, rushed eight times for 50 yards and a touchdown with a longest run of 18 yards. 

Fourth among Fighting Illini grades was wide receiver Brayden Trimble, who finished with a PFF grade of 78 out of 100. Trimble had five catches for 57 yards, a positive development giving Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia something to think about headed into this weekend. 

Rounding out the top five among Illini grades was running back Aidan Laughery. He finished with a PFF grade of 75.5 after recording four rushes for 93 yards including a 77-yard touchdown. 

Laughery showed impressive speed in beating the Salukis' defense to the corner, giving Illinois a 14-7 lead over their in-state opponents late in the first quarter. 

Altogether, the Illini's top performers showed explosiveness and an ability to reel off timely big plays against a team they didn't have the luxury of messing around with too much. Southern Illinois' offense came in on a hot streak but Illinois' offense played strong football en route to a blowout win.

Next up is arguably the toughest game of the season in Columbus against the Ohio State Buckeyes at noon ET Saturday. Illinois hasn't beaten the Buckeyes since 2007-2008, by a score of 28-21 in Columbus, and will seek to snap a 10-game losing streak in the series.