Illinois rallies past Oregon 21-10 behind freshman QB Michael Clayton II and Aidan Laughery's 75-yard TD run

Oregon led 10-0 late in the first half on Saturday. It never scored again. Illinois answered with 21 unanswered points, sparked by Aidan Laughery’s 75-yard touchdown run, and beat the Ducks 21-10 on Saturday, Oct. 24, at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign.

Both teams were playing without their starting quarterbacks. Illinois freshman Michael Clayton II, making his first start in place of the injured Katin Houser, threw two touchdown passes. Oregon played its third straight game without Dante Moore, who has been out since a concussion against USC, according to Yahoo Sports.

Illinois improved to 4-3 and 2-2 in the Big Ten. Oregon fell to 4-3 and 2-2.

How Illinois came back

Oregon opened with an 11-play, 75-yard drive capped by Jordon Davison’s 2-yard touchdown run, and Gage Hurych’s 20-yard field goal made it 10-0 with 2:29 left before halftime.

Illinois needed one play to answer. On the next snap from scrimmage, Laughery ran up the middle and went 75 yards for a touchdown with 2:15 left in the half.

In the third quarter, Clayton found Christian Abney for a 9-yard touchdown and a 14-10 lead. With 2:29 left in the game, Clayton threw 23 yards to Collin Dixon, who juggled the ball and secured it before hitting the ground for the clinching score.

Scoring summary

Illinois football: Clayton, Laughery and the defense

Clayton finished 11 of 18 for 84 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Laughery ran for 123 yards on 13 carries, and Illinois piled up 225 rushing yards. Dixon led the Illini with six catches for 65 yards.

Illinois’ defense, which had struggled early in the season, held Oregon without a point after the first half. Illinois parted ways with first-year defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck four games into the season, Yahoo Sports reported. The win evened coach Bret Bielema’s team at 4-3.

Ducks football: what went wrong

Oregon outgained Illinois 426 to 314 but went 4 for 15 on third down. Dylan Raiola completed 27 of 41 passes for 246 yards without a touchdown, and Yahoo Sports noted that 36 of those yards came on a desperation completion as time expired. Davison ran for 92 yards, Dierre Hill Jr. added 83, and Dakorien Moore caught nine passes for 70 yards. The Ducks were missing four of their top five wide receivers because of injuries, Yahoo reported.

On defense, Teitum Tuioti had eight tackles and a career-high 2.5 sacks.

“Credit to Illinois, thought they were the tougher team today,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said, according to Oregon Athletics. “That definitely showed up in the second half. Kind of the tale of two halves. We weren’t efficient enough on either side of the ball.”

“We’ve got to evaluate exactly who we are,” Lanning added.

What it means for Oregon

The loss was Oregon’s third of the season, after defeats to Oklahoma State and UCLA, and Yahoo Sports wrote that it likely ended the Ducks’ College Football Playoff hopes. Oregon was No. 2 in the AP preseason poll.

What’s next

Oregon returns home to host Northwestern on Halloween, Saturday, Oct. 31, at Autzen Stadium. Yahoo Sports listed Northwestern at No. 24.

FAQ