The Illini hoped the Spartans would not be well-prepared when they took the field at Memorial Stadium. They hoped they might be able to stick the ball in the end zone and come away with a narrow victory.

That hope turned out to be nothing but folly.

The Spartans came into Champaign prepared, hungry and supremely talented. They took the Illini apart in a systematic fashion and rolled to a 61-14 victory.

Stop if you have heard this before. Missed tackling and poor coverage made the Spartans even more explosive than they seemed before the game. Both of those issues had dogged the Illini during the final three seasons of the Ron Turner era.

Michigan State's Drew Stanton continued to play like one of the best quarterbacks in the nation as he completed 20-of-26 passes for 259 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions. The Spartans running game was just as strong, pounding away for 376 yards as freshman Javon Ringer had 194 yards on 13 carries.

As good as the Spartans looked, the Illini looked tired and uninspired for the first Big Ten game of the Ron Zook era. Things went from hopeful in the first quarter -- the Illini trailed 10-7 -- to desperate by halftime. Michigan State outscored the Illini 28-0 in the second quarter.

Zook felt the need to send a mea culpa to the fans at the end of the game. "I'd like to apologize to the fans," Zook said. "We didn't coach very well. We didn't play very well. It wasn't the same team that was out there the first three games.

"We're going to find out what we're made of. We can do one of two things -- hit the skids or come out fighting."

It will take a monumental effort to compete at Iowa for 60 minutes.

KEEP AN EYE ON: RB Rashard Mendenhall -- Ron Zook is intrigued with Mendenhall, who was one of the top RB recruits in the nation last year. Mendenhall caught the first TD pass of his career in the fourth quarter and should be a versatile producer before long.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "Just awful. Awful and pathetic." -- Illinois sophomore linebacker J Leman on the team's performance vs. Michigan State in the Big Ten opener. Illinois suffered a 61-14 defeat.

-- WR Jody Ellis got a decent opportunity in the blowout victory. The freshman caught four passes for 52 yards and showed the ability to get open.

-- E.B. Halsey's 76-yard kickoff return against the Spartans was the longest for the Illini since Pierre Thomas took one back 99 yards against Western Michigan on Sept. 18, 2004, and the longest of Halsey's career. His previous long was a 66-yard return in 2003.

STILL NEEDS SOME WORK: The team was unable to compete on the defensive side of the ball. Despite the good feeling gained by the team's solid play through the first three games, the bottom line remains the same as it has the past few years. Illinois can't tackle and they can't cover decent receivers.

-- FS Morris Virgil is a good effort player, but he is also supposed to bring leadership to the secondary. The senior looked as clueless as a freshman when it came to slowing down the Michigan State attack.

-- DT Ryan Matha needed to provide pressure up the middle against Spartans QB Drew Stanton. He was unable to do so with just two tackles and no sacks and no hurries.

ROSTER REPORT: While head coach Ron Zook was pained by the 61-14 defeat, it does not appear likely that he will make a series of personnel moves in order to get the team back on track. Linebacker Anthony Thornhill (ankle) did not play against the Spartans.