Illinois has its stars. Now it’s about cutting down mistakes

Friday night was a tough watch.

Kansas punched Illinois in the mouth from the very first snap and despite a stronger second half effort, the Illini left Lawrence with a whole lot of questions.

The answers will hopefully come during a long week of reflection and evaluation for Bret Bielema and Co. Much like the Indiana loss in 2022, the Illini’s first road game serves as a wake-up call and an opportunity to make the necessary adjustments to make a mid-season run.

Amidst the disappointment, there were some bright spots against the Jayhawks that Illinois can build off heading into a stiff home test against Penn State.

Here are Week 2’s five stars:

1. Johnny Newton

While the defense as a whole struggled, the Illini’s preseason All-American bounced back from his quiet Week 1.

Johnny Newton was credited with five pressures and two sacks, looking like his usual disruptive force all night.

Kansas was one step ahead of the Illini defense for most of the night, but Newton stepped…