Illinois Football: 3 takeaways from loss to Cal in Redbox Bowl

The California Bears defeat Illinois football in the Redbox Bowl 35-20 on Monday afternoon at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. What’d we learn?

It’s Big Ten versus Pac-12 action in Santa Clara, Calif., as the California Golden Bears tangled with the Illinois Fighting Illini in the Redbox Bowl at Levi’s Stadium. The Fighting Illini kept it close for two and a half quarters, but the Golden Bears held the Illini to seven points in the second half on their way to the victory.

It was a tale of two seasons for Illinois. Early on, there were rumblings that head coach Lovie Smith would not make it through the season. Then the Fighting Illini found a way to pull the upset against the Wisconsin Badgers. That sparked a four-game winning streak and six wins. Safe to say Smith lasted the season.

The Golden Bears season was the opposite. Their season started like a house of fire. They won their first four including an upset of the Washington Huskies. Then the injuries began. First to starting quarterback Chase Garbers and then starting running back Chris Brown got banged up. The result was a four-game losing streak in the middle of the season.

They ended this season winning 3-of-4 — including defeated arch rival Stanford — to get a chance to go bowling.

This game was close for a half, and the Golden Bears buckled down on defense and allowed only seven points on their way to a 35-20 victory.

Congrats to the Golden Bears on their Redbox Bowl win. Here are three takeaways from the game.