Hear what fans were saying after the game here.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

– The football team we saw from Illinois in the first 30 minutes isn't the team many expected this season. The defense was all over the place, causing havoc for Blaine Gabbert and the Missouri offense. The offense put together long, sustained drives and didn't resemble a team playing with a freshman quarterback.

– Wait a second, everyone was right. Illinois is a team that's going to struggle offensively to get anything going with a freshman quarterback. And teams are going to have success against the Illini defense through the air. Well, at least that's what it looked like in the second half. Something was missing coming out of halftime. If we see the second-half Illini more often than the first-half Illini, it's going to be a long season in central Illinois.

– Statistically speaking, quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase didn't have a good debut. He had three picks and lost a fumble. But you have to be encouraged with some of the plays he made. The kid is confident, has talent and just gets it. He's got a ways to go, but when he gets there, it's going to be fun to watch.

SECOND GUESSING

– Illinois kicked a field goal to take a 13-3 lead at halftime and had possession to start the second half. But it ran the ball twice to start the third quarter before Scheelhaase was sacked to force a punt. With momentum, it appeared to be a good time to take a chance downfield to put Missouri on the ropes.

– You're telling me Steve Hull was a receiver last week and Justin Green was a running back not long ago? Could have fooled me. Each guy looked like he belonged in the secondary. If they continue to progress, they'll play important roles for the Illini. They must have been pretty good on the offensive side if those were their primary positions.

– The T.J. Moe touchdown in the back of the end zone in the third quarter looked like one where he might have come down out of bounds. Ron Zook and the staff didn't think it was close enough to challenge, and the replay officials never stopped the game to review it. I probably would have challenged it. Zook said timeouts are too precious to waste, but I'd rather have one fewer timeout if it means taking points off the board.

THIRD DEGREE

– Iowa learned last season against Northern Iowa not to take I-AA, excuse me, FCS teams lightly. The Hawkeyes took care of business against an overmatched Eastern Illinois squad Saturday. But why was Ricky Stanzi throwing a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter? He nearly suffered a season-ending injury last season – get him out of there. Let James VandenbErg and John Wienke get some reps in a blowout.

– It looks as though Tate Forcier's days at Michigan might be numbered with Denard Robinson's breakout performance against Connecticut. We knew he could run – even though he doesn't tie his shoes – but he was throwing darts, hitting on 14 of his first 16 passing attempts. Maybe Rich Rodriguez has this thing going in the right direction after all.

– If you're looking for potential Illinois wins down the road, how about penciling in Purdue? The Boilermakers didn't offer up much of a fight in a loss at Notre Dame. Is it a case of the Irish being that good? Or is Purdue, even with Robert Marve at quarterback, just not that good? I'm going with the latter.

FOURTH ESTATE

– Much has been made about the injuries Illinois has dealt with in recent weeks. Zach Becker (foot), Terry Hawthorne (foot) and Supo Sanni (Achilles' tendon) were on the sideline, being held up by crutches.

But Missouri has had some issues of its own.

Starting running back Derrick Washington was dismissed from the team after being charged with sexual assault, and linebacker Will Ebner got charged with DUI a few weeks ago.

"It was probably good for them that it happened right before game week where as if it happened three weeks ago there would have been a lot less to take their attention away," said Dave Matter, who covers the Tigers for the Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune.

The majority of Illinois fans are glad the Missouri series is over. The same can't be said for the Tigers' followers.

"The fans generally like it because they've beaten Illinois so many times in a row," Matter said. "It's the one game on the schedule that's sort of a legit game. Missouri has played it pretty soft otherwise. They're adding Arizona State, so I think that satisfies the people who want a tougher schedule. They have Indiana after that ... but I think they like the rivalry (against Illinois)."

Missouri has won six straight against Illinois, all in St. Louis.

"You would think the law of averages would catch up and Illinois would beat them. Missouri just has their number for some reason," Matter said. "They come into this game firing on all cylinders every year, and then they'll have a game after this where they let up a little bit, and I wouldn't be surprised if that happened this year. They schedule so soft where they can get away with it. It might be the atmosphere, a name opponent, but they always look in midseason form for this game."

IN THE STADIUM

– Michael Hoomanawanui, a rookie with the St. Louis Rams, was at practice Saturday morning and couldn't get to the Edward Jones Dome until halftime.

He was in the building as Missouri outscored his alma mater 20-0 after intermission.

Hoomanawanui has made an instant impact with the Rams and could start in the opener. A fifth-round draft choice, Hoomanawanui had nine catches for 139 yards in the preseason. Both led the team.

"It's been good," Hoomanawanui said. "I got off to a great start, and I've just got to keep doing what I'm doing."

Hoomanawanui had a friendly wager with teammate and former Missouri receiver Danario Alexander on the outcome of Saturday's game. At halftime, Hoomanawanui was feeling good about his chances.

"It's not that big (a bet) because we don't have that much money yet," Hoomanawanui said.

IN THE (MISSOURI) LOCKER ROOM

– Carl Gettis made two of the bigger plays in the game for the Tigers. He outjumped A.J. Jenkins on a deep ball and made a spectacular one-handed interception. And when Missouri was forced to punt on its ensuing possession, he sprinted down the field and downed the ball inside the 1.

Missouri coach Gary Pinkel raved about his effort afterward.

"How about some big plays?" Pinkel gushed. "He made that interception and I thought Chase Coffman was out on the field. Talk about a guy performing well. He's from St. Louis, so we made him an honorary captain, which was neat for him. It was great for us to see him respond like that. He took it to another level, and that says an awful lot about him."