Illinois coach Ron Zook has played 14 freshmen this season, and only three of those are redshirt freshmen. “We’ll suffer from growing pains, but we’ll be better for it down the road,” he said in the wake of Saturday’s loss at Iowa that dropped the Illini to 2-3 overall. . . .
Junior quarterback Tim Brasic completed 32 of 44 passes for 233 yards. Because of heavy Iowa defensive pressure, Brasic did a lot of scrambling. He threw an interception late in the first half and was sacked three times. “There were some receivers he didn’t hit, but it’s easy to stand on the sidelines and see guys open,” Zook said. “It’s a lot different when you’ve got people in your face.” . . .
Junior linebacker Kyle Kleckner has several stitches in his head–souvenirs of his first career start Saturday. His helmet came off when he was making a second-quarter tackle and his head was stepped on, producing several gashes.
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Next: Saturday at Indiana, 11 a.m., WBBM-Ch. 2