CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) Chad Ryland booted a 24-yard field goal as time expired to give Eastern Michigan a 34-31 win over Illinois on Saturday.
It was the Eagles’ third win over a Big Ten team, following victories against Rutgers in 2017 and Purdue in 2018.
Mike Glass was 23 of 36 for 316 yards and three touchdowns to lead EMU (2-1). Jarius Grissom rushed three times for 52 yards, while Willie Parker had 23 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown.
”Awesome, awesome day for our program,” EMU coach Chris Creighton said. ”Our defense played well. We knew we weren’t going to shut them out, because they are really good, but we did what we needed to. Our guys just executed.”
Brandon Peterson was 22 of 37 for 297 yards passing, two touchdowns and an interception for Illinois (2-1). Reggie Corbin, who sat out the last game with a hip pointer, carried the ball 18 times for 144 yards for the Illini.
”A lot of people need to do a better job, including me,” said Illinois coach Lovie Smith. ”We didn’t play our best today, but we have a lot to build on. We’re a 2-1 football team, so we’ve done some good things. Next week (against conference foe Nebraska) will be a better indicator or where we are.”
GOOD START
In a first-half shoot-out, both teams showed plenty of offense and periods of ineffective defense. The Eagles rushed for 93 yards and Glass was 11 of 20 for 183 yards and three touchdowns, while Illinois rushed for 76 yards and Peters went 13 of 17 for 164 yards and one TD.
”One positive? We were down by 14 points at one point and still managed to get ourselves into a position to win the game,” Smith said. ”We have to maintain a sense of consistency, in both halves, whether it’s running, passing or defense.”
THE BATTLE
”They beat us up front,” Smith said of his Illini. ”It’s a one-on-one battle out there, and the losing team doesn’t win that battle. That was us today.”
Creighton credited hard work and preparation for his team’s win. ”We definitely had a better week of practice this week,” he said. ”We prepared hard. Our team believes, and that’s deep and very powerful when it comes to a game like this,”
THE TAKEAWAY
EMU: Good win for Creighton’s team, which came in as the underdog and which has a habit of upsetting Power Five teams (Rutgers and Purdue in the past two seasons).
Illinois: Ugly loss for the Illini. The offense played essentially half a game, and the defense was suspect all afternoon. Smith took over as defensive coordinator after Hardy Nickerson left last October, and has said it would be his number-one priority. But there remains considerable work to be done before conference play begins next week in a prime-time game against Nebraska.
UP NEXT
EMU: Hosts Central Connecticut State next Saturday.
Illinois: Hosts Nebraska next Saturday to begin Big Ten play.
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