Chase Brown rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns Saturday as Illinois thumped Wyoming 38-6 in each team's season opener in Champaign, Ill.

Syracuse transfer Tommy DeVito was unspectacular but efficient in his first game for the Fighting Illini, completing 25 of 35 attempts for 185 yards with two scores and no interceptions. Brown also caught a touchdown pass.

Defensively, Illinois held the Cowboys to 211 total yards and kept them out of the end zone. Wyoming's Andrew Peasley, a transfer from Utah State, struggled mightily and hit only 5 of 20 passes for 30 yards with an interception.

Titus Swen rushed for 98 yards on 17 carries for Wyoming.

It took Illinois only 41 seconds to get all the points it needed. Two plays after setting up on its 48, DeVito found Brown for a 14-yard touchdown pass. Brown rushed for 38 yards on the first play from scrimmage.

Wyoming got a 22-yard field goal from John Hoyland with 34 seconds left in the first quarter, but the Illini answered with Brown's 11-yard scoring jaunt with 8:12 left in the second period for a 14-3 advantage.

Kicker Caleb Griffin added a 27-yard field goal less than four minutes later for a 17-3 Illinois lead at halftime. Hoyland responded with a 46-yard field goal less than three minutes into the third quarter.

The game's remainder was all Illinois. DeVito found Pat Bryant for a 6-yard touchdown pass with 2:56 left in the period to make it 24-6.

Brown started the fourth quarter with a 5-yard touchdown run and Reggie Love scored on a 33-yard burst with 6:49 remaining.

Wyoming converted just one of 12 third-down opportunities. Illinois was seven of 16 while racking up 477 yards.

Overall, the Illini had a 26-10 edge in first downs.

--Field Level Media