Kirk Herbstreit called it 12 hours before it happened. During a segment on College GameDay Saturday, the ESPN analyst said UTSA had a great opportunity to upset Illinois.

UTSA turned Herbstreit into a prophet late Saturday night. The combination of running back Sincere McCormick, quarterback Frank Harris and wide receiver Zakhari Franklin proved to be too much for a depleted Illinois defense.

McCormick piled up 116 yards on 30 carries and Brenden Brady added 67 yards and a pair of scores, leading the Roadrunners to a 37-30 win over Illinois in Champaign. Harris was outstanding, as well, completing 20-of-32 passes for 280 yards and a touchdown. The quarterback also rushed for 33 yards and a score.

Franklin had a monster night in the passing game, hauling in 10 receptions for 155 yards and a touchdown.

Illinois’ defense — one that is without CJ Hart for the remainder of the season and saw Keith Randolph exit with an injury early Saturday — had no answers.

UTSA picked up a 1st down 26 times and racked up 497 yards. The attack was balanced, totaling 280 yards through the air and 217 on the ground. The Roadrunners committed just 3 penalties and had only 1 turnover in the win.

They converted 9-of-17 attempts on 3rd down.

Illinois’ only hope on Saturday night was to match UTSA’s offensive output. To its credit, Bret Bielema’s squad put up a valiant effort. The Fighting Illini had the ball late in the 4th quarter with an opportunity to send the game into overtime, but Art Sitkowski’s final pass to Casey Washington sailed a little too deep and was caught out of bounds.

Sitkowski ended the nigh completing 22-of-43 passes for 266 yards and 3 touchdowns. Isaiah Williams had 101 yards receiving with a touchdown and Daniel Barker hauled in 2 touchdown passes to go along with 74 yards.

The loss was a disappointing performance for an Illinois team that came out strong in Week 0 against Nebraska. A team that looked so much better than a year ago encountered some of the same old issues.

Bielema never said it would be an overnight fix.

If there’s one positive from Saturday’s loss — and there aren’t many — it’s that Illinois didn’t roll over and play dead. UTSA continually built two-possession leads and, at times, looked like it could run away with the game.

The Illini didn’t allow that to happen.

Yes, that’s a small trophy to play for in Week 1 of the season. But it is another sign that the program is trending in a positive direction under a new staff, even if it wasn’t reflective on the scoreboard.

Saturday was a disappointing night in Champaign. Illinois still has a lot of holes to fill. It will run into teams much more talented and experienced than what UTSA brought to town this weekend.

The honeymoon is over in Champaign. Now is when we’ll see just how much Illinois has grown under the new staff.