Lovie Smith’s second season as head coach of the Fighting Illini had all the fans excited. Unfortunately, all of the excitement resulted in a bigger disappointment as the Illini were only able to take two wins on the year.
In a rare case, the Illini were favored to win the season opener against Ball State. However, the Cardinals did not go down without a fight.
Illinois looked like its old self on the first offensive possession of the game. The very first play resulted in a sack for a three-yard loss. On the next play, Chayce Crouch completed a 14-yard pass to Nathan Echard.