Third-Quarter Update: Illinois Football Down 35-9 to Oregon

The Illini offense finally showed signs of life – if far too little and seemingly too late

Oregon outside linebacker Teitum Tuioti sacks Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer as the No. 1 Oregon Ducks host the No. 21 Illinois Fighting Illini Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It took roughly 40 minutes of game play Saturday at Autzen Stadium for No. 20 Illinois to find something – anything – that worked against top-ranked Oregon, but the Illini offense started came around and started clicking at the end of the third quarter.

The irony: Illini running back Ca'Lil Valentine's four-yard scoring run never would have happened if a weak, going-nowhere third-and-10 run from the Illinois 5-yard line hadn't ended in Ducks defensive end Derrick Harmon chucking Illini running back Aidan Laughery to the ground and picking up an unnecessary roughness call.

First-career touchdown for Ca'Lil Valentine!

0:46 Q3 | #Illini 9, Oregon 35 pic.twitter.com/2Sw1ZnABma

— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) October 26, 2024

But Illinois' 16-play, 95-yard drive did take some steam off the Ducks' D and gave the Illini's own defensive group a breather it seemed to desperately need.

To put things in perspective, the third-quarter highlight for Illinois' D was forcing Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel into two straight incompletions to end his streak of 10 consecutive completions (capped by a 2-yard touchdown to running back Noah Whittington) to close out the first half.

So ... there was that.

End of Q3: Oregon 35, Illinois 10

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

Halftime Update: Illinois Football Trails Oregon 35-3

First-Quarter Update: Oregon Leads Illinois 14- 3

Urban Meyer Breaks Down the Bret Bielema Effect at Illinois