The Fighting Illini got things rolling after halftime and used a strong second half to defeat Kent State, 31-24. The win marks the seventh straight season-opener victory overall and 13th at Memorial Stadium.
A Tale of Two Halves
After a slow start, the Illinois offense found its rhythm after halftime, racking up 301 of its 469 total yards and outscoring the Golden Flashes 28-7. The Orange and Blue put together four scoring drives in the final two quarters, highlighted by two touchdown runs by junior running back Reggie Corbin.
Corbin finished the day with 79 rushing yards on 10 attempts after totaling 78 rushing yards on 18 carries all of last season. Saturday also marks the first two-touchdown game of his career.
Hansen...So Hot Right Now
After missing all of last season due to injury, sophomore linebacker Jake Hansen had quite the return, tying a program record with six TFL's as part of his 15 (10 solo) tackles on the day.
Hansen matched Jeff Weisse's total of 6.0 TFL's against Middle Tennessee on September 12, 1998.
All Eyes on AJ
Graduate transfer quarterback AJ Bush Jr. didn't disappoint in his first FBS start, as the Alpharetta, Georgia, native finished with 329 total yards, including the fifth-most rushing yards in a game by an Illinois quarterback in program history (139).
Former Illini great Juice Williams holds the record with 174 yards (vs. EIU, 9/6/2008).
Phillips' Pick Seals it
Leading 31-24 late in the fourth quarter, the Illinois defense needed a stop in their own red zone to seal the victory. After forcing Kent State into a fourth down, senior linebacker Del'Shawn Phillips picked off a Woody Barrett pass in the end zone to give Illinois the ball back with two minutes to play.
The interception is the first of Phillips' career and was the second for the Illini defense on the day.
Team Notes
- Illinois' four true freshmen started (TE Daniel Barker, DB Sydney Brown, DB Jartavius Martin, DB Delano Ware) tied the program's record in a season opener (4 in 1980).
- Illinois' three true freshmen started on defense tied the the program's record in a season opener (3 in 2017, 3 in 1980).
- Illinois started three true freshmen defensive backs (DB Sydney Brown, DB Jartavius Martin, DB Delano Ware) in game for the second time in program history and the first time ever in a season opener. Last season, true freshmen DB Tony Adams, DB Nate Hobbs and DB Bennett Williams started against South Florida in the third game of the season.
- Illinois started multiple true freshmen in back-to-back season openers for the first time in program history.
- Illinois' eight true freshmen to start season openers in the last three years is more than the previous 35 years combined (6).
- Illinois' started three true freshmen on defense in the season opener for the second straight year.
- Illinois' three true freshman started on defense is tied for the third-most in a game on defense in program history.
- Freshman CB Jartavius Martin is the third Illinois cornerback to start a season opener since 1980, joining Tony Adams (2017) and Vontae Davis (2006).
- Freshman S Delano Ware is the second Illinois safety to start a season opener since 1980, joining Bennett Williams (2017).
- Illinois used six first-time starters: TE Daniel Barker, DB Sydney Brown, QB AJ Bush Jr., OL Kendrick Green, DB Jartavius Martin, DB Delano Ware
- Illinois' 21-point third quarter tied the highest-scoring quarter in the Lovie Smith era. Illinois scored 21 in the second quarter against Murray State 9/3/2016.
- Illinois leads the all-time series against Kent State 2-0. The Illini opened the 2015 season with a 52-3 win over the Golden Flashes. • Illinois captains: OL Nick Allegretti, QB AJ Bush Jr., LB Dele Harding, LB Del'Shawn Phillips
Individual Notes
- Sophomore LB Jake Hansen tied the Illinois program record with 6.0 TFLs (Jeff Weisse vs. Middle Tennessee 9/12/1998) and had a career-high 15 tackles (10 solo). Hansen had eight career tackles entering the game, all as a sophomore in 2016 before missing last season with an injury. Hansen's 6.0 TFLs is tied for the seventh-most in Big Ten history. It is the second-most TFLs by a Big Ten player in the last 13 years.
- Freshman CB Jartavius Martin had his first career interception in the third quarter.
- Senior LB Del'Shawn Phillips had his first career interception in the fourth quarter.
- Senior QB AJ Bush Jr.'s 139 rushing yards is the fifth-most all-time by an Illinois quarterback. Bush is the first Big Ten quarterback with at least 190 pass yards and 139 rushing yards in a game since Ohio State's J.T. Barrett in 2014.
- Junior RB Reggie Corbin had his first career two-touchdown game. Corbin had 10 rushing attempts for 79 yards, after having 78 rushing yards on 18 carries during the entire 2017 season.
- Junior WR Sam Mays tied a career-high with four receptions and a career-high 47 receiving yards.
- Sophomore RB Ra'Von Bonner had his fifth career rushing touchdown in the third quarter. He had four last season as a true freshman.
- Senior K Chase McLaughlin's 50-yard field goal in the first quarter was the 35th 50+-yarder in program history. It was the first since McLaughlin's career-long 53-yarder vs. Minnesota 2016.
- Sophomore punter Blake Hayes averaged 53.4 yards per punt, the fourth-best single-game average in program history, including a career-long 69-yard boot, the longest for an Illini since 2015 (Ryan Frain 72 yards vs. Ohio State, 11/14/15).
- Senior OL Nick Allegretti started for the 25th straight game.
