CHICAGO, Ill. — What’s the saying? “Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades”? Illinois was close, but Lovie Smith couldn’t pull off his first major non-conference win this afternoon.
After dominating much of the first three quarters, it was all Blake Barnett in the fourth. The grad-transfer single-handedly willed South Florida back into the football game, defeating Illinois 25-19.
It was a solid start for the Illini. Rod Smith established the running game early, getting both Mike Epstein and Reggie Corbin their carries and combining for 211 yards. The offense couldn’t get anything established in the passing game, however, throwing for just 168 yards on 20-29 passing.