SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 22, 2012
Louisiana Tech 54, Illinois 24: Quarterback Colby Cameron passed for 284 yards and four touchdowns as Louisiana Tech’s up-tempo offense was too much for the host Fighting Illini.
Quinton Patton caught six passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns for the Bulldogs (3-0), who scored 56 points in each of their first two games this season and amassed more then 600 yards in each victory. They totaled 402 yards against the Illini.
Illinois (2-2) junior quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase returned after missing
the last two games with a sprained ankle but was removed after fumbling
with 4:37 remaining in the opening quarter, his second turnover of the
game. He was replaced by sophomore Reilly O’Toole, who completed 19 of 25 passes for 120 yards and had a rushing touchdown.
Scheelhaase helped produce the game’s first touchdown when he hit Ryan
Lankford on an 18-yard scoring pass with 8:30 left in the first quarter. Louisiana Tech scored on its next three possessions and Illinois did little offensively the rest of the way. The Bulldogs scored 31
answered points after the break to run away with the win.
Louisiana Tech came in last in the nation in yards allowed at an average of 585 but permitted only 324 to Illinois.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Illinois running back Josh Ferguson returned after missing last week’s victory against Charleston Southern with a concussion. He carried the ball seven times for 27 yards and caught a team-high 10 passes for 84 yards. … Donovonn Young was the leading rusher for the Fighting Illini, carrying the ball 19 times for 78 yards and a touchdown. … Louisiana Tech attempted its first field goal of the season late in the third quarter, a successful 32-yarder by Matt Nelson.