Sept. 14--Illinois players left the Memorial Stadium field again smiling and rubbing the Red Grange memorial statue. The Illini have beaten two relative lightweights, including Saturday's 44-0 victory against Western Illinois, but as coach Bill Cubit said, "So far, so good."
Offense
B+. An interception and three fumbles lost were the blemishes on an otherwise sparkling day for the offense. Quarterback Wes Lunt threw for 316 yards and completed 71.7 percent of his passes. Receiver Geronimo Allison caught eight passes for 124 yards.
Defense
A+. In a shutout performance, Illinois held Western Illinois to 141 total yards and just 1 of 15 on third-down conversions. Safety Taylor Barton snagged two interceptions.
Special teams
B+. When special teams does something it hasn't since 2007, it deserves a high grade. The blocked punt that Marchie Murdock ran into the end zone was the cherry on top of a strong day. Taylor Zalewski continues to hit field goals. But the muffed punt and fumbled punt return could have been costly.
Coaching
B+. Illinois got sloppy in the third quarter, but credit the coaches for keeping the team focused. They can't afford any letdown in the first road game Saturday at North Carolina.
