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University of Illinois Athletics

Ke'Shawn Vaughn - Illinois vs. North Carolina - Sept. 10, 2016
48
Winner North Carolina NC 1-1
23
Illinois ILL 1-1
Winner
North Carolina NC
1-1
48
Final
23
Illinois ILL
1-1
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
NC North Carolina 17 7 7 17 48
ILL Illinois 14 2 0 7 23

Game Recap: Football |

Fighting Illini Fall to Tar Heels, 48-23

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Ke'Shawn Vaughn broke free for a 65-yard touchdown to send the sold out Memorial Stadium crowd into a frenzy Saturday night. The early TD helped Illinois hang with North Carolina's fast-paced offense, before the Tar Heels outscored the Illini 24-7 in the second half. 

Illinois was within one possession until a 20-yard touchdown pass from Mitch Trubisky to Mack Hollins gave UNC a 31-16 lead. Trbuisky finished with 265 yards passing and two TD throws.

Ke'Shawn Gone

On the third offensive snap of the game, sophomore running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn put the Illini on the board with a 65-yard touchdown run, surpassing his week one total of 49 rushing yards. The run was the second longest of Vaughn's career, behind last year's 78-yard scamper at Purdue.

The Nashville, Tennessee, native surpassed 100 yards for the second time in his career, finishing with 116 yards on 15 carries, to go along with the long touchdown score.

Lunt to Turner

With the Illini down 31-16 at the start of the fourth quarter, senior quarterback Wes Lunt found a familiar target in junior receiver Malik Turner, as the pair connected for their third touchdown in the first two weeks.

Lunt finished the night 17-of-35 passing for 127 yards and a pair of scores, while Turner hauled in three catches for 33 yards.

Safety for Smoot

After a David Reisner punt pinned the Tar Heels inside their own five-yard line, senior Dawuane Smoot broke through the line to tackle UNC running back Elijah Hood in the end zone for a safety. The two points put the Illini back in to a one score game, 24-16.

The safety was the first for Illinois since Sept. 13, 2014, against Washington.

The Big Ten's TFL Leader

Senior defensive lineman Carroll Phillips led the way for the Illini defense, finishing the night with six tackles (four solo). Phillips also totaled a career-high 3.5 tackles for loss, including one sack in the first quarter. After two games, Phillips leads the Big Ten with 6.5 TFLs on the season.

Memorial Stadium Illinois Football

Sold Out

Fighting Illini fans came out in full force on Hail to the Orange Night, as 60,670 fans piled in to Memorial Stadium. The night marked the first sellout crowd since hosting Michigan in 2011. Saturday was also the first nonconference sellout since hosting Arizona State on Sept. 12, 1987.

Team Notes

  • Illinois fell to 1-1 overall and North Carolina earned its first victory of the season.
  • The Illini are 23-3 in Aug./Sept. home games dating back to the start of 2007
  • Illinois welcomed a sellout crowd of 60,670 fans, marking the first sellout crowd since hosting Michigan in 2011. It is the first nonconference sellout since hosting Arizona State on Sept. 12, 1987 (Capacity at the time was 70,060).
  • Illinois' safety in the second quarter is the first since Sept. 13, 2014 at Washington.
  • Eleven Illini caught at least one pass, nine were targeted twice or more.
  • Illinois recorded more than 10 tackles for loss for the second consecutive game. The Illini had 12 compared to UNC's eight.

Individual Notes

  • Junior RB Kendrick Foster's first career reception was a 15-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter. Foster also set a career high with 12 carries.
  • Redshirt freshman RB Reggie Corbin's first career reception was a 14-yard catch in the first quarter.
  • Sophomore RB Ke'Shawn Vaughn rushed for 65 yards in the first quarter for Illinois' first touchdown of the game. Vaughn rushed for over 100 yards for the second time in his career, finishing with 116 yards on 15 carries.
  • Senior LB Hardy Nickerson has recorded 10+ tackles in eight of his last 10 games (including games at California). He finished with 11 Saturday. 
  • Junior WR Malik Turner scored his seventh career touchdown in the third quarter, a seven-yard touchdown on his first catch of the day.
  • Senior DL Carroll Phillips currently leads the Big Ten in TFLs, including today's games. He had a career high 3.5 TFLs today.
  • Junior CB Jaylen Dunlap tied his career high with eight tackles.
  • Junior LB James Crawford tied his career high with seven tackles.
  • Sophomore Julian Hylton set a career high with four tackles and recorded his first pass breakup.
  • Sophomore DB Chris James set a career high with six tackles.
  • Senior QB Wes Lunt set a career high with six rush attempts.
  • Senior OL Joe Spencer rushed for a career high 14 yards.

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