CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – They say it’s not about how you start, but how you finish. For the Illinois Fighting Illini (6-4, 4-3), Friday night’s opening against the UCLA Bruins (10-0, 7-0) proved to be a sign of things to come. Illinois fell 22-14 at the Rose Bowl, snapping its four-game winning streak.
These teams came into this matchup not only going to battle with each other, but also the weather. Because contrary to what Tony! Toni! Tone! May tell you, it does indeed rain in Southern California.
Despite
the rain, both quarterbacks looked to establish their passing games early, although their results couldn’t have been more different.
UCLA quarterback Ty Dieffenbach wasted little time getting the Bruins’ offense moving. On just his second pass of the game, Dieffenbach connected with Aidan Mizell for a 54-yard touchdown, giving UCLA an early advantage.
As the rain continued to fall, the Dieffenbach-Mizell connection continued to shine. Dieffenbach connected with his favorite target six times for 176 yards, making Mizell a consistent problem for the Illinois secondary.
Despite missing nearly the entire third quarter due to injury, Dieffenbach still finished with 232 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. His absence briefly interrupted UCLA’s offensive rhythm, but the Bruins managed to maintain their advantage thanks to third-string quarterback Madden Iamaleava.
Costly quarterback turnovers
On the other side of the field, Illinois quarterback Katin Houser struggled to find the same success. He completed just three of his seven passing attempts in the first quarter before throwing his first of three interceptions on his second attempt of the second quarter.
As the game progressed, Houser’s accuracy continued to be a problem. The fifth-year quarterback struggled to find a rhythm, with several passes either slipping through the hands of his receivers or being off-target.
If the interceptions weren’t enough, Houser’s afternoon would take another turn for the worse. With nowhere to go and UCLA defenders closing in, the Illinois quarterback was sacked in the end zone, resulting in a safety that added another two points to the Bruins’ advantage.
With less than three minutes remaining and Illinois trailing 19-14, Houser dropped back on fourth-and-8 during the Illini’s second-to-last possession. A desperation heave was fired and ended up in the hands of Bruins defensive back Scooter Jackson, marking his third turnover of the night and effectively sealing the Bruins’ victory.
Rain forces runs
With all the water coming down, both teams decided to go for a run-heavy approach, and for Bruins fans, this was a match made in heaven.
Throughout this season, Illinois has gained an average of 150 rushing yards per game. With both Ca’Lil Valentine and Javari Barnett being out for the season due to injuries. Fifth-years Jordan Anderson and Aidan Laughery had to haul most of the runs for Illinois.
The injury bug that hit this running back room, mixed with a UCLA defense that only allows 87.7 rushing yards a game, led to the Fighting Illini only garnering 71 rushing yards.
Check this out!
Kaden Feagin gets the Illini on the scoreboard with this 18-yard touchdown
Regardless of the rain pouring down, Katin Houser was still able to find his go-to guy
Stat Stuffers
- Aidan Laughery: 16 carries, 49 yards
- Kaden Feagin: 3 receptions, 49 yards, 1 touchdown
- Colin Dixon: 4 receptions, 36 yards, 1 touchdown
Up Next
The Fighting Illini will head home one last time as they welcome the No. 16-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes for the penultimate matchup of their schedule.
