Illinois sophomore Rashard Mendenhall gained a career-high 94 yards on seven carries in Saturday night’s 20-17 loss to Ohio. But for coach Ron Zook, the bottom line was Mendenhall’s third-quarter fumble after a 30-yard gain. That gave the Bobcats the ball at their 31-yard line. “That’s something we’ve talked about and talked about and talked about,” Zook said. “It doesn’t matter how many yards you have if you turn the ball over.” . . . Ohio coach Frank Solich was impressed with Illinois freshman quarterback Juice Williams, who threw for 186 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 96 yards. “He did a great job of utilizing his running ability when he wanted to and when he needed to,” Solich said. “You want to have a guy who makes big plays like that.”
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NEXT: SATURDAY AT PENN STATE, 11 A.M., ESPN2