CHAMPAIGN – Tough to top the bum rush that Illinois' student body put on, but Jeff Weisse came darn close Saturday night.

The senior defensive end made Middle Tennessee quarterbacks lives as miserable as the Memorial Stadium clean-up crews' with 3 1/2 of the Illini's seven sacks in the streak-stopping, 48-20 victory.

Eat your heart out, Simeon Rice.

"It's great to see people excited about Illinois football again," Weisse said after watching a few hundred crazies go for the goalpost. "Just glad to help out."

Weisse did more than his share Saturday, breaking the single-game UI tackle-for-loss record with six and bagging more sacks than all but two Illini ever have in one night.

Keep it up, and Ron Turner might have to start him.

"We had a lot of fun tonight," said Weisse, who subbed in for Jason Eberhart. "Everybody did."

From the starters to the scout teamers. On a night when the defense held the Blue Raiders to the fewest yards for a UI opponent since Missouri stunk up the joint in 1994, all kinds of Illini gave the students something to toast to on Green Street.

Garrett Johnson had two sacks. Freshman Tim McGill had his first career sack. Asim Pleas ran back an interception 89 yards for a score.

Even Robby Long got in on the fun, the former Centennial star recording his first career sack in the second half.

"Greatest feeling," Long said. "Ever."

Long & Co. limited the Division I-AA Raiders to 69 yards on 63 plays. They gave the Illini a serious scare early – returning an interception and a kickoff for scores, and converting two turnovers into field goals – but never got a thing going on offense.

"They couldn't keep up," UI defensive end Ryan Murphy said. "They were getting tired, and we had fresh bodies coming at them the whole game."

"Ray Charles could see that," Middle Tennessee State coach Boots Donnelly said. "We couldn't match up. We had to outquick them, and we didn't. It was a mismatch from the get go.

"They were on our side of the line of scrimmage more than theirs."

And Torin Kirtsey paid the price. The Blue Raiders tailback, who Turner said just might be the best the Illini run into this fall, managed 17 yards on 12 carries.

Ron Dayne, he wasn't.

"Once we knew we had (Kirtsey) shut down, they had to pass the ball," Long said. "We knew if we could get a good speed rush, we could get to the quarterback every time.

"The whole defense, the whole night, was ready to swarm."

Three Middle Tennessee State quarterbacks were knocked on their fannies a combined seven times. Under constant pressure all night, they completed 12 of 25 passes for 78 yards with a long of 14.

"I could see it in the locker room – we just had that look in our eyes the whole night," Weisse said. "Even the third and fourth quarters. Hell, we were excited to get out there.

"It felt great. Nothing like it."

Sounds like a cause for celebration.

Any plans?

"No comment," Murphy said with a grin.