Illinois Football: Five Greatest Moments Of The 2014 Season
By Ricky Widmer
Aug 30, 2014; Champaign, IL, USA; Illinois quarterback Wes Lunt (18) looks for an open receiver in the game against Youngstown State at Memorial Stadium. Illinois beat Youngstown State 28-17. Mandatory Credit: Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports
5. Wes Lunt Throws to Four Touchdowns In Illini Debut
Coming into the 2014 season, most of the hype on the offensive side of the football for Illinois was about sophomore quarterback Wes Lunt.
Lunt won the starting job during the offseason over sophomore Aaron Bailey and senior Reilly O’Toole, and Illini Nation was excited to see what the former Oklahoma State quarterback could do in Bill Cubit’s system.
His Illinois career started off on a high note as Lunt threw for 285 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions against Youngstown State in his debut.
However, the most impressive part of his debut came on his last two touchdowns of the game.
Although Illini fans thought their football team would win easily against Youngstown State, the Illini needed a fourth quarter comeback in order to defeat the Penguins on August 30th.
Youngstown State took a 17-14 lead over the Illini with 10:57 left to go in the fourth quarter following a touchdown and two-point conversion.
Facing the fourth quarter deficit, Wes Lunt drove the Illinois offense down the field on back-to-back drives for passing touchdowns to win the game 28-17.
This game would become a tale of things to come for the Fighting Illini during nonconference play as they needed fourth quarter comebacks to defeat Western Kentucky and Texas State as well.
Next: 4. The Big Ten Win That Started It All