Back to the old drawing board. Ron Zook's plan to spark the Illinois offense by benching quarterback Juice Williams in favor of backup Eddie McGee didn't exactly yield the desired results Saturday as the Illini fell to Michigan State, 24-14.McGee was ineffective, going 2-for-11 for just 32 yards and an interception before being pulled in the third quarter. Williams came in to relieve McGee. He wasn't a world-beater, but Williams was just enough better to get the Illini on the board.
As for Michigan State, for the first time all season, it played just one quarterback until garbage time.
Keith Nichol got the start over Kirk Cousins, who had started every game thus far this season. Nichol led the Spartans to a 24-0 lead early in the third quarter.
That was when Zook pulled McGee in favor of Williams and the Illini started to move the ball. Illinois scored 14 unanswered points after that but it was just too late.
Both teams come out of the game with concerns. Spartan running back Glenn Winston injured his knee in the first half and did not play for the remainder of the game. Quarterback Keith Nichol dislocated his non-throwing elbow in the fourth quarter.
For Illinois, the biggest concern is the continued poor tackling by the defense. Several times short gains turned into big plays due to a failure to wrap up the ball carrier.
Illinois travels to Indiana next week. Michigan State will play the sputtering Northwestern Wildcats in East Lansing.
