Final score: Eastern Michigan 34 Illinois 31

Brief recap: This one was kind of ugly from the start. Illinois’ offensive line didn’t play well, the ball was pretty slippery and Eastern Michigan refused kept delivering punches one after the other. It was a back-and-forth game through the first half, with five lead changes through 30 minutes. The defenses picked up in the second half and Eastern Michigan’s 23-17 halftime lead grew to 31-17 in the fourth quarter. But the Illini made some huge plays down the stretch and were able to tie the contest with less than two minutes to play. It wasn’t enough, though, because the Eagles were able to complete some passes down the field late in the game, setting up a game-winning field goal.

Key moment: Eastern Michigan’s game-winning kick from Chad Ryland is the easy selection. A 24-yard field goal gave Eastern Michigan its third win over a B1G team in as many years.

Key stat: Illinois had nine penalties for 80 yards, Eastern Michigan had just two for 20. Seems like that played a pretty big role in today’s outcome with pretty much everything else even.

Key player: Mike Glass III was impressive in the three-point win over the Illini. He threw for 316 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 37 yards on 10 carries. He was also right on target during that final drive that set up a game-winning field goal.

What it means: Illinois would’ve loved to start the season 3-0, needing just three B1G wins to become bowl eligible. But hope is not lost in Champaign. Remember, Eastern Michigan beat Purdue on a last-second field goal a year ago and the Boilermakers still ended up going bowling. The defense does have to get a lot better, though. Illinois can’t give up chunks of yardage at a time like it did on Saturday. Forcing more turnovers will also be pretty important for the Illini moving forward.