Illinois pulls away from UAB 42-23 behind explosive offense and late pick-six originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Illinois turned a bizarre, possession-starved home opener into a decisive 42-23 victory over UAB at Memorial Stadium, shaking off early jitters with hyper-efficient playmaking and a 59-yard pick-six in the final minutes.
The final box score read like an anomaly. In Alex Mortensen's official debut as the Blazers' permanent head coach, UAB controlled the clock for a staggering 41:03, running 79 plays to Illinois' 43 and out-gaining the home side 413 to 332. Yet Bret Bielema's squad never panicked, averaging 7.7 yards per play, committing just one penalty for four yards, and scoring on sudden bursts rather than methodical marches.
In his Illini debut, quarterback Katin Houser was remarkably poised, finishing 13-of-17 (76 percent) for 182 yards, three passing touchdowns, zero turnovers, and a 6-yard rushing score early in the fourth quarter.
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