CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — They weren’t pretty, but the Illini are 2-0 and seemed to have found some rhythm.
After scraping by Kent State in Week One, freshman quarterback M.J. Rivers was thrust into action and led the Illini to victory Saturday, taking down Western Illinois 34-14.
The Illini struggled to get much of anything going in the first quarter, allowing Western Illinois to march down the field on multiple possessions. It looked like Illinois fans were set for another ugly first half.
But when quarterback A.J. Bush went down early in the second quarter after a roughing the passer penalty, Rivers stepped in and stepped up.