Illinois’ special teams made some special plays on Saturday night.

With a 17-7 lead in the third quarter, the Illini came up with a stop deep in Western Illinois territory, forcing the Leathernecks into a punting situation. But Illinois wasn’t satisfied with holding Western Illinois to a punt.

The Illini rushed the punter and were able to block the kick. It was recovered in the end zone, giving Illinois a three-score lead midway through the quarter.

It’s not been a pretty night in Champaign, but it looks like the Illini will move to 2-0 with a win over Western Illinois.