IOWA CITY, Iowa – Ron Zook’s goal is simple: put athletes on the field who will play with energy and without inhibition.

That’s why safety Kyle Kleckner was back in the game after his face was stepped on, requiring stitches, as Zook put it, “in a bunch of places.”

It’s why Pierre Thomas re-emerged time after time, despite soreness and feeling winded.

And it’s why Justin Harrison played again this weekend, despite still dealing with nagging pain from a preseason hip injury.

But Harrison said he’s willing to play with pain, as long as he can play. And that’s the attitude Zook is looking for.

“I’m still banged up a little bit, with recovery during the week and then getting ready to play next week,” Harrison said. “I have to keep going, keep helping the team as much as I can.”

Zook’s playing with a beat-up team, but says he knows his Illini will manage to make it work. And that’s why he keeps putting them back on the field. Thomas was the team’s offensive highlight, rushing 15 times for 100 yards.

“Pierre gets dinged, winded, but he goes back in there,” Zook said. “He’s OK.”

But a banged-up running back is the least of Illinois’ medical problems. Safety Morris Virgil made the trip to Iowa but sat out Saturday, still recovering from a shoulder injury suffered against Michigan State.

The offensive line also was weakened, as lineman JJ Simmons hurt his knee and missed the second half.

MATOON’S MONSTER

Freshman wide receiver Kyle Hudson keeps improving his numbers with each game. Amidst a pack of receivers, which clearly stand out as Illinois’ greatest strength, Hudson is putting up impressive stats. The Matoon, Ill. native caught six passes for 83 yards on Saturday, including a 41-yarder in the third quarter.

“I expect to play that way every day,” Hudson said. “I come out and try to catch the ball, and that’s what I did today. I didn’t do anything spectacular, I just caught the ball when it came to me.”

LINEBACKER SHUFFLE

The Illini secondary got a minor makeover as J Leman moved to inside linebacker and Sam Carson moved to sam linebacker. Zook said he was trying to play around with combinations that would result in defensive success, and thought he saw impressive improvements with the position changes. He said he is still deciding what to do with the corner spot.

Zook said his biggest concern now is getting redshirt-freshman Ramond Willis, who started in previous games, up to speed with the rest of the linebackers.

“It’s not that Ramone can’t play, he’s very very talented,” Zook said. “You’ve got to get guys in there that are making less mistakes right now. That’s going to happen early, particularly with a young guy.”

TATE LINES

While the young Illini struggled to get their offense in gear, Iowa’s Drew Tate had the experience and confidence to get things done on the field. Tate completed 17-of-22 passes and rushed five times for 27 yards.

“He’s a heck of a quarterback. He can scramble around, make things happen, and he did,” Zook said. “You could tell that he’s an experienced quarterback, and he may be the difference of why they got the points and we didn’t in the first half. He was the one who kept the chains going a couple times.”

QUOTE OF THE GAME

“I have no idea what goes through his head when he’s kicking a ball. I’m not going to yell at a guy because he can’t kick a ball through a field goal post, because I know I can’t do it. I can’t yell at him. I can’t even kick the ball five yards.”

– Illinois center Matt Maddox, on why players and fans shouldn’t be hard on kicker Jason Reda