Illinois lost Saturday’s game 35-20 but controlled the tempo against California, one of the nation’s most explosive teams.
The Illini ran 80 plays to just 53 for Cal, which had run 69 plays in routing Sacramento State 41-3 and 66 in drubbing Washington 56-17. But the then-15th-ranked Golden Bears did more damage when they had the ball, gaining an average of 7.8 yards per play to Illinois’ 4.2.
“In the first half we had some really good things happen, and the receivers made some big catches,” Illini coach Ron Zook said. But Cal outscored the Illini 28-3 in the second half.
“They made a lot of adjustments on both sides of the football. They started to put more pressure on defense, and on offense they were getting into the unbalanced [line].” . . .
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Derrick McPhearson, who broke his leg in July, made his first appearance of the season and caught one of Tim Brasic’s passes for a 2-yard gain.
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Next: Saturday vs. Michigan State, 11 a.m., WBBM-Ch. 2, ESPNU
