For the first time in two seasons, Illinois used some fancy offensive schemes to grab the second-half lead on a Big Ten opponent — however briefly — Friday night.
But Lovie Smith's Illini aren't quite ready for prime-time.
They weren't ready for the bright lights of Chicago when they were outscored 18-0 in the fourth quarter by South Florida. And they were badly outclassed as Penn State turned a 24-21 deficit into a 63-24 embarrassment at Memorial Stadium.
Oh, and it was such a marvelous evening ... literally pleading for an end to what is now an unlucky, 13-game Big Ten losing streak.