Best Look Magazine

   In a season brimming with expectations, the Fighting Illini wasted no time asserting their identity in a 52–3 rout of Western Illinois. While the scoreboard told a story of total control, it was the rhythm and relentlessness of Illinois’ backfield that gave the game its heartbeat. Ca’lil Valentine ran with a quiet fury—his cuts sharp, his acceleration decisive. He didn’t need gaudy numbers to make his presence felt; every touch seemed to stretch the Leathernecks’ defense just a little thinner. Kaden Feagin brought a different flavor: compact power and a nose for daylight. His touchdown run in the fourth quarter was less about flash and more about inevitability, the kind of play that breaks a defense’s will. Then there was Hank Beatty, who turned special teams into a highlight reel and receiving routes into open highways. His punt return touchdown electrified Memorial Stadium and shattered a century-old school record for return yardage. Beatty’s versatility made him the most...