The Illini football squad had no trouble handily defeating San Jose State in a 40-19 blowout at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

But as Illinois’ record in the Ron Zook era moved to 2-0, coaches and players cautioned that elements of Illinois’ game were still flawed, and the Spartans are no Big Ten opponent.

“Coach Zook said in the locker room, ‘Why isn’t everybody as excited as they were last week? It’s a win. You need to come out, you need to enjoy these wins because you never know when they’re going to happen,'” said senior defensive lineman Ryan Matha. “Hopefully, they’ll happen next week and the next week and the next week, but you never know.”

It happened this week, thanks to a defense that stayed strong under pressure, some clutch kicking by Jason Reda and an improved overall team effort.

San Jose State scored first, with a touchdown just 3:05 into the first quarter. The Illini quickly answered, as quarterback Tim Brasic rushed two yards following a deep pass to Franklin Payne, and a rush up the middle by Pierre Thomas.

Illinois next scored on a Pierre Thomas two-yard rush after Remond Willis intercepted a pass at the San Jose State 32, returning it for 27 yards. The Illini finished the quarter with another short run, this one as E.B. Halsey rushed right for a 1-yard touchdown.

Illinois kept San Jose State from scoring again until the fourth quarter, while Brasic scored another touchdown on a 25-yard run in the third. The game’s top scorer, though, was kicker Jason Reda. Reda scored 16 points on four field goals and four PATs.

“That definitely boosted my confidence a little bit,” Reda said of his four field goals. “I still have more room to improve, but that definitely boosted my confidence.”

Reda stepped in for punter Steve Weatherford, who sprained the ankle of his plant foot in the first quarter. Weatherford was able to continue punting, but Reda took over the kick off responsibilities. The sophomore kicker made seven kick offs, four of which landed in the end zone.

One kickoff in the fourth quarter was returned 96 yards for a touchdown by Spartan cornerback Trestin George. But it was Reda’s first collegiate game experience with kick offs, and he said it opened his eyes to areas where he may need improvement.

“It took me a couple to get used to out there; obviously I need to kick them a little deeper,” Reda said. “I was put in a new position. It took me a couple kicks, but I felt pretty good out there. I’ve never really kicked off in college before, but I like the feeling.”

Illinois’ defensive effort was the main factor in San Jose State’s low numbers. Defensive back Kevin Mitchell and linebacker Willis combined to stop the Spartans at the Illinois 1-yard line in the second quarter, and a quarterback hurry by Brian Grzelakowski and Chris Norwell ended the Spartans’ next drive from inside the 10.

“When the defense stopped them, we knew we had to take it down the field,” said running back Pierre Thomas. “That’s a hard thing to do, to stop an offense right there on the 2- or 1-yard line. We (the offense) have to come back and put all our effort into it because (the defense) put their effort in. We’ve got to show them thanks for stopping them so we could drive it down the field and score.”

Zook said he wanted players to enjoy the victory even though it came more easily than last week’s 33-30 overtime win against Rutgers.

“We knew we were pretty much going to win going into the third quarter, but we’re excited to have a win,” Brasic said. “We’re 2-0; we’re pumped. We’re just ready to go. We know we’ve got a big game coming up next week, but we’re going to celebrate tonight and then we’re going to Cal.”