Rutgers didn't beat Illinois by playing a perfect game.
Actually, Rutgers won in spite of continued self-inflicted wounds.
"We didn't out-execute Illinois," coach Chris Ash said. "I thought we out-toughed them, in my opinion, and honestly it was more about the brotherhood of our football team that won that game. We had guys that were selfless, guys that did step up,"
Coaches typically are wary of putting the cart before the horse, but Kill didn't shy away from praising true freshman halfback Raheem Blackshear. He has 24 carries for 200 yards and three touchdowns in his career, including six for 87 and a score as Rutgers running backs coach Lester Erb rotated four backs against Illinois.