Champaign, Ill. - Taylor Zalewski's 51-yard field goal with just over two minutes left proved to be the difference in Illinois' 27-25 victory against Middle Tennessee on Saturday.
After leading for the majority of the contest, the Fighting Illini found themselves down by one late in the fourth quarter. Wes Lunt engineered an eight-play, 41-yard drive to put Zalewski in position to win it. The field goal was the third 50+ yard field goal in Zalewski's career.
Malik Turner scored the first Fighting Illini touchdown on a five-yard reception on the opening drive.
With 9:07 left in the first half, junior DB Caleb Day blocked a punt and senior FS Clayton Fejedelem recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. The Illini have three total blocks (two punts, one field goal), including two blocked punts returned for touchdowns this season, the first occurring against Western Illinois (blocked by Jaylen Dunlap punt and returned by Marchie Murdock).
Freshman Ke'Shawn Vaughn added the other touchdown for Illinois on an eight-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Senior CB V'Angelo Bentley became Illinois' all-time kickoff return yardage leader on Saturday as he recorded three kickoff returns for 65 yards against MTSU. He broke the record with an 18-yard kickoff return with 11:44 on the clock in the fourth quarter. Bentley now has 1,530 kickoff return yards.
Junior LEO Dawuane Smoot recorded his first career forced fumble on a second-quarter sack. Smoot had a career-day totaling two sacks and three TFLs, both career-highs.
Illinois moved to 3-0 all-time against Middle Tennessee State. The win also moved the Illini to 22-2 in August/September home games since 2007, a record that ranks third in the Big Ten
