The first game of the Lovie Smith era is in the books, and it's a 52-3 rout of the Murray State Racers. The Fighting Illini defense held tough and Wes Lunt was efficient in limited action as the biggest crowd for a home opener in Champaign left quite satisfied today.
Admittedly, this FCS Murray State team, coming off a 3-8 campaign, is probably the worst team to visit Memorial Stadium since Charleston Southern in 2012, but there's little to criticize about a 52-3 win. So what did we learn today?
1. This defensive line is good
Though Dawaune Smoot was whistled for three separate penalties today, the defensive front four overwhelmed the Racers to the tune of a -10 rushing yard performance on the day.