CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Kaden Feagin scored on a 1-yard run with 9:34 to go, David Alano added a 43-yard field goal with 58 seconds left and Illinois rallied to beat No. 19 Kansas 23-17 on Saturday night.
Illinois (2-0) beat a ranked nonconference opponent for the first time since topping then-No. 22 Arizona State on Sept. 17, 2011. The Illini also avenged a 34-23 loss last year at Kansas (1-1).
Feagin scored after Luke Altmyer found Pat Bryant for 37- and 28-yard completions on the eight-play, 80-yard drive.
Altmyer completed 16 of 25 passes for 192 yards. Zakhari Franklin had nine catches for 99 yards, and Bryant had three receptions for 70 yards.
Kansas’ Jalon Daniels was 18 of 32 for 141 yards with two touchdown passes and three interceptions.
Daniels scrambled and found a wide-open Lawrence Arnold in the end zone for 13-yard TD pass that give the Jayhawks a 17-13 lead with 4:57 to go in the third quarter.
Luke Grimm caught nine passes for 40 yards and a touchdown for the Jayhawks. Devin Neal ran for 101 yards on 14 carries.
The teams combined for 17 points in the final 3:05 of the second quarter.
Illinois led 13-10 at halftime thanks to Xavier Scott’s 28-yard return of an interception with 36 seconds left in the quarter. Scott read a screen pass attempt by Daniels and raced untouched into the end zone. It was Scott’s second interception of the game.
A 50-yard field goal by Alano with 2:27 to go in the quarter was set up by a spectacular one-handed, 42-yard catch by Franklin along the sideline with Kansas’ Damarius McGhee holding his other arm.
The Jayhawks went ahead 10-3 on a 3-yard TD pass from Daniels to Grimm in the back of the end zone with 3:05 remaining in the half.
THE TAKEAWAY
Illinois: The Illini proved they could go toe-to-toe and beat a ranked opponent, a good sign with games against No. 8 Penn State, No. 10 Michigan and No. 7 Oregon coming up in the next six weeks.
Kansas: Despite the loss, the Jayhawks showed they have a potent running attack led by Neal and and a sturdy defense. Illinois’ offense scored only one touchdown — albeit the winning TD — gained just 79 yards on the ground, and had only 14 first downs.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Kansas made some major errors including a penalty that wiped out a touchdown, and the interceptions by Daniels that ruined drives and allowed Illinois to pull ahead late in the first half. The Jayhawks will most likely drop out of the Top 25.
UP NEXT
Illinois: Hosts Central Michigan on Saturday.
Kansas: Hosts UNLV on Friday night at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.
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