Illinois 31, Kent State 24. FINAL
Illinois has won its season opener, fending off a Mid-American Conference team for the second straight season under Lovie Smith despite a sluggish first half.
Illinois trailed Kent State 17-3 at halftime, but used a strong second-half performance to stave off an upset bid by the Golden Flashes, giving Illinois its eight straight season-opening win, this one in front of 31,898 fans at Memorial Stadium.
AJ Bush Jr. finished 13 of 23 for 190 passing yards and 139 rushing yards on 21 carries in his first game starting at Illinois.