Illini eak out 17-14 win over ASU

CHAMPAIGN—Illinois coach Ron Zook joked last week that if there was a way to stop 6-foot-8 Arizona State quarterback Brock Osweiler it might involve a stepladder.It turns out Illinois had a plan, and it consisted of throwing just about everything but that ladder at Osweiler. It turned out that BOTH teams offenses were a joke.The Illini (3-0) sacked Osweiler six times and forced a pair of interceptions on their way to a 17-14 win over the No. 22 Sun Devils (2-1) on Saturday night.Nathan Scheelhaase delivered the win, turning one of those sacks into a 16-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Jenkins with less than 10 minutes left.With Illinois trailing 14-10, defensive end Whitney Mercilus hit Osweiler in the back and knocked the ball loose to linebacker Ian Thomas. Four plays later, Scheelhaase found Jenkins for the winning score.Scheelhaase was 11 of 15 for 135 yards. He threw one interception but also ran for 67 yards. Jenkins had six catches for 103 yards.The Sun Devils outgained Illinois 362-240. Each team had three turnovers.Osweiler completed 25 of 45 passes for 256 yards. He ran for a touchdown and threw for another, but also tossed two interceptions.Mercilus had two sacks, and Jonathan Brown had an interception and a sack that led to another interception.After two quarters of mistakes, the game turned on two drives in the second half.With Osweiler under pressure, and the Sun Devils failing to get anything from two drives that started in Illini territory, they decided to keep it on the ground late in the third quarter. Arizona State started at the Illinois 45 after the defense stuffed the Illini at their 4. Cameron Marshall, who spent much of the second quarter on the bench because of a leg injury, bounced outside to the right for 16 yards. Two plays later, he carried 265-pound defensive end Whitney Mercilus for 7 yards up the middle. That set up Osweiler with a first down at the 15.The quarterback dropped back and then ran through an opening on a draw. No one touched him until he bounced off Illinois cornerback Tavon Wilson one yard deep in the end zone. That gave the Sun Devils their first lead, 14-10, with 14:54 left in the game.After the Sun Devils held the Illini and got the ball back, Illinois turned the quarterback pressure on again.On second and 13 at the Arizona State 41, Mercilus delivered a hit to Osweiler’s back and the ball to Thomas at the Sun Devil 41.Scheelhaase then connected with Jenkins for the winning score. The ball was behind Jenkins who stopped to catch it, then spun to his left around a quickly closing defensive back before tiptoeing three yards down the sideline and into the end zone.