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

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SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 30: Head coach Justin Wilcox of the California Golden Bears looks on while his team warms up prior to the start of the RedBox Bowl game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Levi’s Stadium on December 30, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

2. Cal’s defense stymied Illinois late

There were a lot of yards, and more points in this game, however, the Golden Bears’ defense showed up in the second half.

It was definitely bend, but don’t break for the Golden Bears all game long and more so in the second half. They gave up 203 yards in the second half, but only seven points. Even in the first half, Illinois was solid from 20-yard line to 20-yard line, but it didn’t yield any points. The Golden Bears and Illini traded points on four of the first five offensive possessions of the game; Illinois went silent offensively until the middle of the fourth quarter.

After their only touchdown of the first half, Illinois punted five consecutive times before scoring in the fourth quarter.

One thing California did well was stop the run of Illinois. The Golden Bears held Illinois leading rusher Reggie Corbin to 41 yards on 14 carries. It seemed as if Cal was able to make that extra play to stifle Illinois drives all game long. They had no problem giving up yards as long as they didn’t give up any points.

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