Illinois were pretty heavy favorites against Charleston Southern, and after Saturday's contest it was obvious as to why. The Illini quickly turned the game into a rout, and ended up winning the game by a final score of 44-0.
Reilly O'Toole led the Illini offense down the field pretty much at will on Saturday. He ended up completing 26 of his 31 attempts, racking up 331-yards and five touchdowns. He did throw an interception, but in the end it didn't prove very costly.
Ryan Lankford and Justin Hardee both managed 98-yards of receiving. Lankford added a pair of scores, and he did all of his damage in the first half. Dami Ayoola led the Illini rushing attack with 56-yards and a score on the day.
The Illini defense was outstanding, limiting CSU to just 129-yards in total on the afternoon. The Buccaneers never got anything going, and without a 54-yard carry by quarterback Briar Van Brunt, things would have probably looked an awful lot worse.
Up next for the Illini will be Louisiana Tech on Sept. 22. Illinois will be at home for the Saturday night contest.
For more information on Illinois football, go to SB Nation Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire and SB Nation's college football hub.