Illinois coach Ron Zook wasn’t upset when Michigan State coach John L. Smith kept his Spartans on the attack after it became obvious Saturday’s game was no longer a contest.
“They practice too,” Zook said. “They ran their offense. I don’t have a problem with that. They have a great team and a great scheme. [Quarterback Drew Stanton] runs the offense extremely well. The receivers are big and make things happen.” . . .
Zook blamed himself for the Illini’s poor tackling: “Tackling is emotion and we didn’t play with any emotion and that’s my fault. We have to fly around.” . . .
Quarterback Tim Brasic and running back Pierre Thomas provided virtually the only highlights for the Illinois offense during the 61-14 blowout. Brasic completed 16 of 30 passes for 148 yards and both touchdowns and ran 11 times for 56 yards. Thomas had 24 yards on nine carries, caught an 11-yard touchdown pass and returned five kickoffs for 131 yards.
