San Jose State head coach Dick Tomey could not have been more impressed with Illinois following his team's 40-19 loss in Champaign.

"We got outcoached, out-toughed, out-disciplined," Tomey said. "They dominated the line of scrimmage both ways. We were outplayed in every phase."

That's high praise for a team that is not used to receiving compliments from an opponent. Illinois certainly had the offense going for the second week in a row as QB Tim Brasic continues to grow in stature. He completed 17-of-22 passes for 199 yards with 2 rushing TDs. He is giving the Illini a sense of steady calmness in the huddle.

But head coach Ron Zook has to be most impressed with the defense. San Jose State was knocking on the door in the second quarter and had five consecutive snaps from inside the 2-yard line. Five times the Illini defense turned away the Spartans.

Goal-line stand? For the Illini?

That's part of the change that Ron Zook is effecting in Champaign. The defense is hitting back this year instead of just accepting the blow and giving in.

"I think in years past we probably would have folded there and let them in," said Illini LB J Leman. "But we stepped it up and it gave a little momentum going into halftime."

A 2-0 start is rare for the Illini, but there's no time for back-slapping with a trip to California on the horizon. Zook and his coaches know that the defense will have to continue to grow to give the explosive Bears a battle.

KEEP AN EYE ON: RB Rashard Mendenhall -- The Illini have two strong running backs in Pierre Thomas and E.B. Halsey, but Mendenhall may be the team's star on the rise. The highly touted freshman had 11 carries for 64 yards and earned himself more playing time in the future.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I liked how we moved the football. There was much better control on offense. Defensively, we played so much better. We tackled pretty good up until the end. That's going to be one thing that we continue to improve on." -- Head coach Ron Zook after his team's one-sided 40-19 victory over San Jose State.

--LB Remond Willis -- The redshirt freshman was active and helped set the tone early when picked off a pass from San Jose State QB Adam Tafralis and returned it 27 yards to set up Illinois' second touchdown.

RBs Pierre Thomas and E.B. Halsey -- The RB duo may get pushed by freshman Rashard Mendenhall in the upcoming weeks, but they combined for 154 yards and two TDs. The strength of this duo may be the best attribute on offense.

STILL NEEDS SOME WORK: The Illini fell behind early when Steve Weatherford's first punt was blocked deep in Illinois territory, setting up the opening TD of the game. While they were able to overcome a 7-0 deficit against San Jose State, it could be a different story against a much more powerful opponent.

-- WR DaJuan Warren is supposed to be a big-play wideout, but he came up with just three catches for 19 yards vs. San Jose State.

-- P Steve Weatherford, a legitimate All-America contender, averaged just 38.0 yards vs. the Spartans and had a punt blocked in the first quarter.

ROSTER REPORT: Backup QB Kisan Flakes (suspension) is sidelined indefinitely.