Illinois defeated Northern Illinois 28-22 Saturday behind Mikel Leshoure's fourth straight 100-yard rushing game.
After NIU (1-2) closed to 21-19 with six minutes to play, Leshoure scored on a 29-yard run with 1:43 left to give Illinois (2-1) a cushion.
The Illini now will take a week off before beginning Big Ten play vs Ohio State on Oct. 1. The Illinois defense also had a good effort against the Huskies, clamping down after NIU scored a pair of first-quarter touchdowns to take a 12-7 lead.
Herb Gould started with the Sun-Times in 1977 and has covered several teams, including the Blackhawks. He is a long-time beat reporter covering the Fighting Illini and the Big Ten for the Sun-Times.
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