Illini Polish Off Leathernecks, 34-14

True freshman quarterback M.J. Rivers II threw two touchdown passes and the Illinois defense forced three turnovers to lead the Illini to a dominant, 34-14, victory over Western Illinois Saturday night at Memorial Stadium. Illinois improved to 17-0 over FCS opponents.

M.J. Rivers Debut

Rivers entered the game in the second quarter following an A.J. Bush Jr. injury and didn't show any signs of nerves, leading Illinois to back-to-back touchdown drives. Rivers connected with fellow freshman Edwin Carter on touchdowns of 18 yards and 16 yards, respectively to give the Illini a 14-7 lead. 

The touchdowns marked the first career catches for Carter, who left the game with an injury following the second score.  

Ground Attack

A week after totaling 279 rushing yards against Kent State, the Illinois offense continued to get it done on the ground, racking up 238 on 47 carries (5.1 avg.). Sophomore Mike Epstein put together his second career 100-yard game, finishing with 105 yards on just eight carries (13.1 avg.). 

Junior running back Reggie Corbin also continued his strong start to the season, as the Upper Marlboro, Maryland, native ran the ball 15 times for 63 yards and scored his third touchdown of the season.  

McLaughlin is Money

Senior Chase McLaughlin added to his stellar kicking career for the Illini, connecting on a career-long 54-yard field goal early in the third quarter to give Illinois a 17-7 lead. McLaughlin also added a 46-yarder in the fourth quarter and was perfect on all three extra points, making him 50-for-50 on point after attempts in his career.

Stanley's Scoop and Score

With the Illini leading 17-7 in the third quarter, sophomore Dawson DeGroot broke through the Western Illinois punt protection to get a hand on an Adam Fellner punt. The ball was picked up by junior safety Stanley Green and returned for a two-yard touchdown. 

The blocked punt is Illinois' first since Caleb Day's vs. Middle Tennessee (9/26/2015). 

Turnovers

The Illinois defense forced two interceptions and came away with a fumble recovery, pushing its streak to 16 straight games with a turnover (third-longest streak in FBS). Both interceptions came from walk-on players, as sophomore Michael Marchese and junior Nolan Bernat had their first career interceptions.

Team Notes

• Illinois has scored more points in each of the first two games than any game last season.
• Illinois has started 2-0 five times in the last six seasons.
• Illinois is 16-0 all-time against the other public universities in the state (4-0 vs. NIU, 4-0 vs. SIU, 3-0 vs. Illinois State, 3-0 vs. WIU, 2-0 vs. EIU)
• Illinois leads the all-time series against Western Illinois 3-0. Illinois has outscored Western Illinois 99-14 in three meetings.
• Illinois is 17-0 all-time against FCS opponents (formerly I-AA). The all-time score is 723-230.
• Illinois is 27-5 in August/September home games dating back to the start of 2007.
• DB Dawson DeGroot blocked a punt in the third quarter that DB Stanley Green returned two yards for a touchdown. It was Illinois' first blocked punt and first blocked punt for a TD since Caleb Day (block) and Clayton Fejedelem vs. Middle Tennessee, 9/26/2015.
• Illinois' started three true freshmen (TE Daniel Barker, DB Sydney Brown, CB Jartavius Martin).
• Freshman CB Jartavius Martin is the second Illinois true freshman cornerback since 1980 to start the first two games of the season, joining Vontae Davis (2006).
• Ten Illini played for the first time: WR Edwin Carter, DB Ron Hardge III, LB Jacob Hollins, WR Zac Holman, WR Jordan Holmes, RB Jakari Norwood, QB M.J. Rivers II, QB Matt Robinson, OL Jake Stover, OL Andrew Trainer
• Illinois captains: OL Nick Allegretti, LB Dele Harding, LB Del'Shawn Phillips, TE Austin Roberts

Individual Notes

• Sophomore DB Michael Marchese started for the first time in his career.
• Freshman QB M.J. Rivers II replaced an injured AJ Bush Jr. and completed 9-of-16 passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns.
• Freshman WR Edwin Carter caught two passes in the second quarter, both touchdowns, before leaving with an injury. The touchdowns were 16 and 18 yards, respectively.
• Sophomore RB Mike Epstein rushed eight times for 105 yards, his second career 100-yard game. He ran for 111 yards vs. Western Kentucky 9/9/2017.
• Junior LB Cameron Watkins was ejected in the second half for targeting and will have to sit out the first half next week against South Florida. Watkins was leading the team with seven tackles, three short of his career high set last week, before the ejection.
• Senior QB AJ Bush Jr. left the game with an injury. He was 5-of-7 passing for 33 yards and ran five times for three yards.
• Junior RB Reggie Corbin scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter. He has more touchdowns this season (3) than the previous two seasons combined (2).
• Junior WR Sam Mays tied a career high with four receptions. His 42 receiving yards were five yards short of his career high (47) set last week.
• Sophomore DB Michael Marchese had his first career interception.
• Junior DB Nolan Bernat had his first career interception. Bernat played his first career defensive snap earlier in the game.
• Senior K Chase McLaughlin's 54-yard field goal in the third quarter tied the third-longest in Illinois history. It was McLaughlin's career-long and the longest by an Illini since Taylor Zalewski vs. Purdue 11/17/2012.
• Senior K Chase McLaughlin's first 12 kickoffs of the season traveled to the end zone. The streak was snapped in the fourth quarter at kickoff No. 13.
• Senior OL Nick Allegretti started for the 26th straight game.
• Sophomore OL Alex Palczewski started for the 13th straight game.
• Sophomore WR Ricky Smalling missed the game with an injury, snapping a streak of 11 straight games started.