There's been lots of "youth talk" associated with the Illini football team.

Well, the youth brigade played only a supplementary role in what happened here Saturday. College football is, and always has been, a game where maturity counts.

– Two oft-overlooked fourth-year juniors, Kirk Johnson and Steve Havard, shared the spotlight as they accounted for four touchdowns and 408 yards of total offense in a 31-16 defeat of Indiana.

– Fifth-year seniors J.P. Machado and the Schau twins, Tom and Ryan, helped clear holes up front after usually quiet Ryan Schau set the tone with a pregame pronouncement that clicked with Johnson and others: "These Indiana guys are 3-5, which is just one more win than we have, and they're making bowl talk in our house. Who do they think they are?"

– Fourth-year senior Rob Majoy had six receptions on a day when the Illini's much-ballyhooed junior college receivers never touched the football. Playing his final game opposite Majoy was George McDonald-Ashford, who speared a critical second-quarter TD pass.

– Fourth-year junior Danny Clark had a team-high 11 tackles, plus an interception. Also fully engaged in removing the option from the Indiana offense were fifth-year senior Garrett Johnson with five solo tackles, fourth-year junior Mike McGee with three behind-the-line stops, and fourth-year junior Tony Francis with seven tackles.

– Neil Rackers, a senior with a year of eligibility remaining, accounted for seven UI points and an onside kickoff that worked to perfection.

Illini kept flame burning

Short term, what it means is this:

Ron Turner's athletes, however short of talent, aren't shy in the character department. Despite Mitchlike gusts that blew them off course against Ohio State, Wisconsin, Purdue and Penn State, the Illini kept the internal flames flickering.

Short term, it means Turner has located his quarterback, halfback, fullback and receivers after a season of searching ... and he finally got his tight end in the mix with five receptions.

Sure, there are reasons for Saturday's fresh look. For one, Indiana lacks the kind of secondary talent that has hounded UI receivers, in some cases taking them completely out of play. The Hoosiers played a zone that permitted many underneath opportunities.

"Their linebackers retreated deep into the zone," said Kirk Johnson, "so I dumped the ball off. They kept giving and giving, so we kept taking and taking. Turner's offense works when you make the right reads. I have a decent arm but I don't need to go deep and try to be a hero. You can be a hero naturally if you just make the reads, hit the open receiver and throw the ball away when there's nothing there."

For another, while the Hoosiers executed perfectly in an opening five-minute TD march, they didn't score another touchdown against a readjusted Illini defensive unit.

"It's hard to simulate the speed of (Antwaan) Randle El, and the way they cut-block for the option," Turner said. "But after that first drive, we got a feel for it and we made the necessary adjustments."

And Indiana forgot its option attack, becoming one-dimensional and throwing an out-of-character 33 passes in the second half.

Long-term implications uncertain

From the UI perspective, this must be considered an impressive triumph against a gritty Indiana club that started October with four impressive showings: a 24-20 loss to Wisconsin, a 38-31 overtime loss to Michigan State, a 14-7 win over Iowa and a 21-10 loss to Michigan.

But it's much too early to gauge the long-term implications. It probably won't influence 1999 ticket sales by itself. It serves as a steppingstone that, coupled with another good showing at Michigan State – against a Spartan team that shocked Ohio State on Saturday – could lift alumni chins off the floor and reduce the torrent of criticism.

What we saw Saturday was an Illini team that discovered its potential and meshed in all phases – rushing, passing, defense and special teams – after a season in which they had lagged in all departments.

What we saw was a team that gave Indiana a free touchdown on a fumble by Havard, but came back with a critical touchdown in the waning moments of the half, a period when the Illini are often victimized.

What we saw was a team still having fun and, for a change, making the big plays. Now we ask, was this a blip on the screen or a sign of the future?

Loren Tate writes for The News-Gazette.